Hum sabka time aayega
February 28, 2020, 10:17 PM IST
in The Next Step | India | TOI
Why can’t we take examinations peacefully?
The school examinations for various education boards like CBSE / ICSE have begun, and I see many students already getting into the clutches of anxiety and fear. Year on year, this has become a considerable challenge to pacify our youth. In previous years, we have seen an acute rise in the number of these generation Zeders getting into depression and/or committing suicide. According to the latest available data on the internet from the National Crime Records Bureau, a student commits suicide every hour in our country. This is one of the worlds severest suicide rates for youth. This scenario is definitely alarming, and concrete actions need to be taken on a topmost priority.
On an in-depth analysis, it is found that people are not afraid of the tests but the results. We, human beings, are so scared of evaluation. The question is why, how and from where / when did we pick up this concept of examination phobia? Conversations with various stakeholders like school principals, counsellors, doctors reveal the fact that our students are not able to take on the academic pressure. They have not learned to take failure in the right spirit. To add to the misery of these students, our social institution does not comfort them with adequate support and solace.
Various studies are being conducted by psychologists and social researchers on the aspect of juvenile stress amongst school students in India. As per one study, it was found that 81.6% of the students had reported the prevalence of at least one of the three harmful psychological disorders viz. Anxiety, Stress and/or Depression. A big chunk of responsibility for this epidemic has to be borne by parents. The key reason for student stress is the transfer of anxiety and expectation by the parent to the child. It is a commonplace to here parent say, “I expect you to become an engineer from IIT or a management expert from IIM!”.
Here are two enlightening experiences which actually reveals the inappropriateness of expectations and understanding of people about their responsibilities and duties as a parent.
A parent wanted an appointment for counselling. When I asked for the initial brief over the phone, “they informed that the kid was very much inconsistent and did not focus on studies. In fact, they said that it’s not just about studies, she is not regular in any activity. She is not committed to any activity, neither swimming or exercise, sports etc.” I asked, “Which class is she studying in?” The reply actually crashed my thought process, “She is in class II”!! Note: The parent, in this case, was well qualified and professionally established.
In one another situation, a parent wanted me to counsel the boy and guide him for better academic performance. When I met the boy, I understood that he has been securing an average of 95% marks in his examinations. On top of it, he was also a basketball player. I questioned the parent, “What else you demand from him?” Their reply exposes the critical reason behind prevalent stress amongst youth. They said, “Sir, you know it very well. To get admission to the premier institutions, he will be required to get 99% plus marks. Getting 95% is not just sufficient”.
Be it a parent, teacher, administrator, peer, or a policymaker – every member of the society has to do her own bit to tame this situation. Taking the severity of the issue into consideration, CBSE has decided not to mention ‘compartment’ or ‘fail’ in the mark sheet of class 10th and 12th for the students. Many manipulations have been done by education policymakers: marks have now been converted into grades and percentiles, score normalisation techniques are applied etc. However, all that is not sufficient. We need to educate the elders in our society first. Austerity begins at home.
We, as a society, have to understand that failure is not the antonym for success. It is must to accept that these examinations are just milestones on the path and are designed to show us the right way. Teachers, parents, elders should not mock at or look down upon students who score low marks. Failure should equally be respected because the kid actually made an attempt.
The fact of the matter is that measurements are always scratchy. Not just for children but also for grown-ups. Recently in one of a school friends WhatsApp group, there was a painful incident reported. A person in his early fifties was hospitalised for cardiac arrest. By Gods grace, he was saved, but when the counsellors did their job, it was found that the man went into a seriously stressful experience when he came to know the progress of his childhood friend. His school buddy had scaled peak professional heights. Drawing the comparison in their level of achievements made this man sulk.
Its high time to move out of the concept of marks, competition and comparison. Let us learn to accept the fact that every individual has his/her set of abilities and ambitions. We all have unique time zones, hum sabka time aayega. Have patience, nurture belief. Let us create a stress-free pitch for the generation of tomorrow to perform, and excel.
DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.
Why can’t we take examinations peacefully?
The school examinations for various education boards like CBSE / ICSE have begun, and I see many students already getting into the clutches of anxiety and fear. Year on year, this has become a considerable challenge to pacify our youth. In previous years, we have seen an acute rise in the number of these generation Zeders getting into depression and/or committing suicide. According to the latest available data on the internet from the National Crime Records Bureau, a student commits suicide every hour in our country. This is one of the worlds severest suicide rates for youth. This scenario is definitely alarming, and concrete actions need to be taken on a topmost priority.
On an in-depth analysis, it is found that people are not afraid of the tests but the results. We, human beings, are so scared of evaluation. The question is why, how and from where / when did we pick up this concept of examination phobia? Conversations with various stakeholders like school principals, counsellors, doctors reveal the fact that our students are not able to take on the academic pressure. They have not learned to take failure in the right spirit. To add to the misery of these students, our social institution does not comfort them with adequate support and solace.
Various studies are being conducted by psychologists and social researchers on the aspect of juvenile stress amongst school students in India. As per one study, it was found that 81.6% of the students had reported the prevalence of at least one of the three harmful psychological disorders viz. Anxiety, Stress and/or Depression. A big chunk of responsibility for this epidemic has to be borne by parents. The key reason for student stress is the transfer of anxiety and expectation by the parent to the child. It is a commonplace to here parent say, “I expect you to become an engineer from IIT or a management expert from IIM!”.
Here are two enlightening experiences which actually reveals the inappropriateness of expectations and understanding of people about their responsibilities and duties as a parent.
A parent wanted an appointment for counselling. When I asked for the initial brief over the phone, “they informed that the kid was very much inconsistent and did not focus on studies. In fact, they said that it’s not just about studies, she is not regular in any activity. She is not committed to any activity, neither swimming or exercise, sports etc.” I asked, “Which class is she studying in?” The reply actually crashed my thought process, “She is in class II”!! Note: The parent, in this case, was well qualified and professionally established.
In one another situation, a parent wanted me to counsel the boy and guide him for better academic performance. When I met the boy, I understood that he has been securing an average of 95% marks in his examinations. On top of it, he was also a basketball player. I questioned the parent, “What else you demand from him?” Their reply exposes the critical reason behind prevalent stress amongst youth. They said, “Sir, you know it very well. To get admission to the premier institutions, he will be required to get 99% plus marks. Getting 95% is not just sufficient”.
Be it a parent, teacher, administrator, peer, or a policymaker – every member of the society has to do her own bit to tame this situation. Taking the severity of the issue into consideration, CBSE has decided not to mention ‘compartment’ or ‘fail’ in the mark sheet of class 10th and 12th for the students. Many manipulations have been done by education policymakers: marks have now been converted into grades and percentiles, score normalisation techniques are applied etc. However, all that is not sufficient. We need to educate the elders in our society first. Austerity begins at home.
We, as a society, have to understand that failure is not the antonym for success. It is must to accept that these examinations are just milestones on the path and are designed to show us the right way. Teachers, parents, elders should not mock at or look down upon students who score low marks. Failure should equally be respected because the kid actually made an attempt.
The fact of the matter is that measurements are always scratchy. Not just for children but also for grown-ups. Recently in one of a school friends WhatsApp group, there was a painful incident reported. A person in his early fifties was hospitalised for cardiac arrest. By Gods grace, he was saved, but when the counsellors did their job, it was found that the man went into a seriously stressful experience when he came to know the progress of his childhood friend. His school buddy had scaled peak professional heights. Drawing the comparison in their level of achievements made this man sulk.
Its high time to move out of the concept of marks, competition and comparison. Let us learn to accept the fact that every individual has his/her set of abilities and ambitions. We all have unique time zones, hum sabka time aayega. Have patience, nurture belief. Let us create a stress-free pitch for the generation of tomorrow to perform, and excel.
DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.
