While scrolling through Facebook this morning, all I could see was posts about the CBSE 10th grade results. It’s definitely that horrific time of the year when students from the 10th and the 12th grade are worried, whether it’s a student who always comes first in class or the one who flunks every other class, but scores the maximum number of goals in the Inter-school Football Tournament, everyone goes through this nightmarish period.
This period is terrifying for both categories of students, but I believe the whole idea of getting good grades in the board exams is in itself a burden on innocent, energetic young minds. The education system in our country tries to measure all students on the same scale, but is it really helping them grow? Are they actually reading or studying, or for that matter, learning?
A student who is a good dancer and wants to excel in that field is judged according to the marks he/she scores in mathematics. How fair is this? And, upon knowing the marks secured, society decides if the child will able to lead a successful life or not.
Everyone is a Genius, but there is a common saying “if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will forever live believing that it is stupid”. The truth is that a fish is not meant to climb a tree. It’s a monkey’s forte to climb a tree. Why don’t we tell our students that they can be anything they want to be? And, that they are all unique, special, and intelligent in their own way. They should not compare themselves to anybody in this world.
Many students end their lives because they do not score well in exams. There are some who get depressed and lose their confidence after the results, because all they hear from their loved ones, is that they didn’t score well and won’t be able to achieve much in their lives.
There were many posts on social media, where parents congratulated their children for scoring good marks, but one post caught my attention. A mother congratulated her son for securing 60%. Yes, you read it right. She was happy because she had watched her son struggling with some subjects and he although was about to give up, he succeeded to get through the exams. She mentioned that she’s proud of him and knows that he would chart his own course in life. We definitely need more such parents; kudos to her!
Lastly, I would like to make my point loud and clear. We live in a world of diversity, where each one of us is different and we need to accept this. We need to let our children pursue the field in which they can do wonders, we need to be their support systems, their guiding angels, and tell them that, whether they are fish or monkeys, they are all geniuses.