By Hari Haran:
“13-year-old boy gets admitted to Cornell University. The boy was home schooled by his mother who happens to be an aerospace engineer.”
One of the greatest paradoxes in the society we live in is – the Education system that has groomed us so far.
Humankind evangelists around the world conclude that collective humaneness and unity are prerequisites for the sustained survival of humanity.
Our education system, on the contrary, seems to suggest otherwise. Our system suggests that success is a situation where you are in a position ahead of your peers. In other words, it says that success is achieved when you push your counterparts behind into what it considers to be a ‘failure’. The Education system is a manipulated version of Darwin’s theory of ‘Survival of the fittest’ to suit its whims and fancies.
Exams in India are falsely considered the destination that needs to be reached in order to board the bus called ‘Success’. Right from a regular school test to a CA or an UPSC Examination, it is important to understand that every examination you undertake is only a part of the long journey of life that you are progressing in.
A proper understanding of this will psychologically prepare you to endure any examination with the confidence that the step will anyway be lit. You will also understand that it doesn’t matter whether you climb this step in style or with a stumble. The truth is that the style is as much a sham as the stumble is. Both don’t exist. Both are products of our false definition of success.
Knowing this will empower us to prevent many suicide attempts. It will also curb the business mentality of many institutions that value ranks and marks over the holistic development of the child.
Every examination is similar to a Cricket or Football match which is a one day event. India may lose to Australia in the group stage but go on to beat the same Australia in the finals and lift the World Cup. Hull City may manage to beat the Champions Manchester United but may go on to be relegated. Unlike Sports, where the teams are offered another world cup or another season, the education system doesn’t have room to accommodate a second chance.
Hence, every student must be tuned to understand that an exam is by no means a proper test of his or her interest or depth of knowledge in the particular field. Proper understanding of this will boost the confidence levels of students while undertaking examinations.
Every man is a visionary. Every vision is backed by goals. My goals may propel me towards being a multi-billionaire while your goals may propel you towards Nirvana in the Himalayas. The education system is flawed in trying to make every student seek a defined set of goals while in reality every student mentally seeks to stand out.
While you needn’t seek to change the rule, it is mandatory that you realise that you needn’t enforce the rule and ruin the life of a child. Every child is special. Every child is unique.
This article was first published on the author’s personal blog.
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