The average life expectancy of a person born in India is 66 years of age, with the first two decades playing a vital role in forming the personality and character of an individual. Unfortunately, our education system extorts this crucial time, forcing a student to give 15 years of her life preparing for a 3-hour examination which decides the trajectory of her future, resulting in a situation where the minds of students become replenishable Memory Cards, that are fed with data and again re-fed with it every year. It’s widely known that these cards are routinely trained to memorize, use the data to pass exams, and then forget it.
The sudden onslaught of the RNA virus on this world has exposed the loopholes that exist in the society we live in and the realm, which is supposed to be shouldering the development of the society and taking it to greater heights is no exception. It has challenged the very foundations of its edifice. As the old age maxim goes, “Change is the law of nature”, but then why are the vanguards of India’s educational regime reluctant to adequately counter the topsy turvy generated by the virus? Online classes had a multifold effect on widening the gap between haves and have-nots. Even the students having the extravagant technological resources took their studies for granted, spoiling the disciplined nature of school students.
The postponement of exams for the 12th class students has created a mental vacuum in the minds of students, parents, and teachers. The former category is broiled with thoughts, wasting their precious time predicting the new exam dates. The other stakeholders in the education system are parents who have expressed worries over the deteriorating mental health of their children. Many complain that their children lock themselves up inside their rooms for days, refusing to take showers or meals. Mobile addiction has taken a toll on the capabilities of students.
The deadly combination of the virus and the rupturing educational methods of India are corroborating the emotional fabric of most of the students, exposing them to mental and socio-economic vulnerabilities. What is the way to bring them out of this cobweb of illogical pressures? How can we anticipate the restitution of normalcy in a short span when this pandemic has amplified ramifications for the generations to come. Our country witnessed the release of the New Education policy last year which was considered to be a ray of hope in the challenging times and now it is the irony of this very promise that we are still stuck with the conventional mindset of considering the timetabled exams as the sine-qua-non of a child's sagacity. Something needs to be done to disentangle the problems and abate the worries of Grade 12 students. It's a harsh catastrophe that the 3-hour exam is important as it will determine one's admission into the elite institutions, however, if one tries to accumulate the knowledge with an uncertain deadline, it will not be very efficient and at the end of the day lead to stress and anxiety.
So now what's the way forward? On the front of Administration, this is the right time to introspect about its faults. The New Education Policy speaks about grading a student based on a round-year assessment considering her holistic overall development beyond rote learning. The methods of exams need to be revisited and should be altered witnessing the present situation. Steps should be taken to prevent Coaching institutes and Model Paper publishers from commercializing the emotions of students. We have to bear this in mind that the changing job scenario requires creative and learned change-makers and not the one who can spit out what they have drunk from the textbooks.
Psychologists say that when people are in chronically difficult situations, it's helpful to divide the problem into two halves - things you can do something about and then things you can do nothing about.
First of all, give some time to relax as you have been working so hard and you deserve it now. Then sit quietly and plan out your day where you should fit an appropriate slot for your recreational activities, hobbies, personality development, and your studies ( Don't leave them at all. Remain in touch with them as nothing can be foretold, so play safe).
For board exam students, it's advisable to devote a small chunk of daily routine to academic revisions whereas the larger day should be utilized to do intellectual activities, reading the newspaper can be an excellent habit, and writing a daily journal is another. If you are a novel buff, try giving a fraction of an hour to a good book and think about the broader questions of the world instead of murmuring the dates of the exams. They would be released well in advance and your exacerbated contemplation will not affect the flickering tendencies of the board.
Explore yourself to the fullest. Remember, things may seem harsh now, however, these are the deciding moments of our lives that are going to shape our future ahead.
By Abhishek Yadav and Nitesh Goyal
Comments