The rising cases of suicides amongst the students in the recent past, has once again raised doubts on the current education system. Undoubtedly, the students these days are under tremendous pressure. Not only the number of subjects has increased over the years, the excellence of the students is also judged on the basis of performance in two boards only. These exams fail to test the higher order skills like reasoning and analysis and do not encourage creativity. Further, as rightly pointed out by the CBSE Board, the external exams make on allowance for different types of learners and learning environments. Against this backdrop, the decision of the CBSE Board to scrap off the Xth Board exam is certainly a good move and should be followed by other Boards as well. The continuous comprehensive evaluation system will not only help in taking off certain amount of burden from the tender shoulders of the children, but would also help them to observe, absorb and analyse besides making them more confident and poised.
This is, however, only correction of minor aberrations, as bigger holes still exist in the education policy being pursued in the country .The field of education has never been marred with so much controversy as it is today. Not only the interference of politicians has been increasing in recent years, a new trend has set in where the education ministers decide the content of the books to be taught in schools. The political rivalries have spilled over into schools and the victims are the children who are at a loss to understand what is correct. The education department and institutions are being run by the politicians as their personal fiefdoms where their thinking and ideas are the writ.
It is quite unfortunate that the system of education has never been given much thought in our country. Lack of schools and colleges especially those run by the government have made matters still worse. Due to the widening gap between the demand and the supply, there is a fight for admission at every stage of learning. The scapegoats in this tussle are the children. Whether it is admission for nursery or higher standards, the children are made to undergo rigorous mock interview practices, which ends only when they get admission in the institutions of their choice. Lack of educational institutions has also led many private institutions to start the policy of auctioning the seats in their institutions by way of donations. Since the demand can be met only by the privileged few, the gap between the learning opportunities for the poor and socially disadvantaged and the effluent lot, has widened.
There should be coherence in the education policy pursued in the country. Like the CBSE Board, other education boards should also do away with the Board examination for the Xth standard student. This would enable the child to develop all the faculties of learning- intellectual, physical and creative. System of rote learning kills the spirit of inquiry and snatches away the childhood. Political interferences should be rooted out and the education policy should be decided by board of eminent scholars who have credible experience and image, rather than rightist or leftist who want to twist the system to suit their taste.