However brilliant a student is, over-leniency in the marking system and 100 per cent in subjects such as Political Science and English, should raise eyebrows
Yet another round of board examinations results, for both class X and XII, have been announced. And yet another generation is now preparing to take the next big leap of their career. There were celebrations and disappointments alike. But the results have not come as a major surprise for those living in present times.
For, over the years, it has become a trend for most children to not settle for anything less than 95 per cent. Yes, this is the new normal. Still, no matter how much the meritorious students score, they spend sleepless nights worrying whether they will be able to get into the course and college of their choice. Worse still, others, who have not fared so well (less than 95 per cent!) are consigned to wilderness. They keep wondering if at all they will be able to get admission in any ‘top’ college in the country.
This is the reason why thousands and thousands of students across the country dream to catch this magical figure — to get admissions in the best colleges in the country. It is not unsurprising, therefore, that the cut-offs for college admissions have been soaring every year. What is bewildering is that a few students had the audacity to come close to the 100 per cent mark. In the recent CBSE results, a Delhi student scored a whopping 99.60 per cent. As if this was not amazing enough, she scored a mind-boggling 100 per cent in English, Political Science and Economics.
With about 960 CBSE candidates and another 200 students scoring a perfect 100 in Economics and Math both, it seems there is no limit that can be breached. Scoring 100 per cent marks in quantitative subjects is understandable. But perfect 100s for non-quantitative subjects like English, Economics or for that matter even Political Science, should be next to impossible.
The recent trend of students scoring a perfect 100 in all subjects has raised substantive concerns about the marking system itself and also about the quality of education being imparted in our schools. Undoubtedly, the system focuses more on memorisation and less on developing the grasping power of the student by creating space for creativity. This also points to the fact that questions are being answered within the limited framework laid out in a textbook.
This is not a recent phenomenon. Students have been scoring a 100 per cent in Math since many years. And this high score has not been limited to prodigies only. But even ordinary, hard-working and well-focussed students have been scoring high in these subjects. Because subjects like Math, Chemistry etc, involve a process of logical discovery and thoughtful exploration, and have no scope for memorisation. Is this a new phenomenon or should one consider this as an aberration in the field of humanityIJ For this, we will have to wait for another 100 years perhaps.
This high-scoring trend, should lead us to a few questions. First, have the students become super-brilliant in this eraIJ The age ‘now’ is of laptops, iPads and tabs, where even toddlers are seen fiddling on mobile phones and tabs. Four years ago, technology in education did not even exist. We don’t even know what the next form of technological innovation will be, say, in another four or five years. Agreed, digital revolution has revolutionised the classroom learning process by bringing innovative ways for our children to study, but it may set a dangerous trend; not all can afford the technology.
Second, have our evaluation standards become over-generousIJ Our examiners have, perhaps, become too lenient and less fussy about the quality of answer-sheets. Is it that they easily lose interest while correcting the answer-sheetsIJ Or it may be the case that, burdened with too many answer-sheets to go through, they just read the first two lines or just the highlighters and give the maximum marks — which quite normally has become a 100 per cent. In earlier times, examinations stood the test of endurance. Despite much criticism for the examination process not being just or foolproof, people had faith in the system. But today, it seems, they have lost much of that faith. For, how can one examination result be an accurate reflection of a learner’s ability, diligence or anything else that the system assumes to measureIJ The whole system of using examinations as a benchmark to judge individuals is, therefore, faulty and dangerous.
Whatever be the case, this squabble for marks and cut-offs has caused tremendous stress to our students who, though they have scored well, do not get admissions as per their choice. There can be several reasons why one could not perform well. Simultaneously, there can be reasons why a student could not get into the best of colleges despite scoring tremendously well. It may also be the case that a student knew the answers well but was too nervous to get it right.
The final grades for Class XII are a gateway for the students to choose their carrier options. Cut-offs vary and depend on the results. The blame ultimately shifts to the colleges. But when the boards themselves are awarding unimaginably high percentages, colleges cannot but raise their cut-offs to keep the quality of students in check. That has reached a saturation point.
Already inflated marks, in turn, forces the colleges to manufacture artificial cut-offs for admissions. In 2011, a Delhi University college sparked a major outcry when it set a 100 per cent cut-off for a course. The problem actually lies in the marks moderation policy of the boards, which has degenerated into hyper-high results and given false hopes to the students about their calibre. In this sense, the CBSE’s decision to do away with the marks moderation policy has great merit.
Of course, there is also the rise of a mentality to knock on the doors of the best colleges/institutes that have gained ‘perfection’ and an envious image. This mentality goes against the results of Government schools that have performed better than private schools over all. This year itself, in Delhi, the gap between the pass percentage in Government and private schools has gone up by nine per cent. While the pass percentage of Government schools stood at 88.27 per cent, private schools were at 79.27 per cent. This goes against an elitist image that was unnecessarily being forced upon us.
Nonetheless, the results are a far cry from those that we used to get about three to four decades ago or even a decade ago — where getting a distinction in humanities was considered a major achievement. In fact, students then, who got a first class, could hope to get admissions in in the best of colleges and universities. In those days, if you got a first class you could hope to sit for a medical entrance examination and clear it also. This is not to say that students then were less accomplished in terms of academics. It is also not the case that the methods of teaching were more regressive then. In fact, they were less regressive. So, what accounts for such high percentages is the marking system in today’s ageIJ There can be endless debate on whether earlier systems of marking were good, or they are today.
All said and done, the goodness or otherwise of the present marking system will be judged also on to how far these brilliant students go in their life. While those who have not performed may suffer embarrassment, this is not the end of life. The most successful people in life have often been either those who have failed miserably or those who have been school-or-college dropouts. This is not an encouragement for students to end studies, but a point needed to be made!
(The writer is, Senior Assistant Editor, The Pioneer)