Vipul Agarwal, Delhi, 18 May 2025
CBSE results of 10th and 12th have been declared, and every kid who appeared in the examination has got a percentage that will be tagged with them for their entire life. I still remember my percentage of 10th and 12th because they have been asked on so many occasions, in almost all the examinations that I appeared in after my 12th. These kids will also be made to remember these percentages. Society will do some sort of grading of the children based on these percentages in “Intelligent”, “brilliant”, “average”, “poor”, and so many other categories.
I fail to understand why we are so obsessed with Board exams. Doesn’t it put so much pressure on the kids? Doesn’t it take away their right to free thinking? We see that in almost all the fields of life, be it politics, business, bureaucracy, art, music, or even science, people at the top have not been toppers in the formal school system. They have been the ones who could understand their uniqueness and work on that uniqueness. On the contrary, in this education system, we do not allow that uniqueness to grow and shape. I understand that there is a purpose behind studying every subject till the 10th so that every student gets a basic idea of science, mathematics, languages, and social studies. That’s just for basic skill building. Even in the 11th and 12th, students are introduced to the basics of a few selected subjects. In graduation, they are introduced to the advanced studies of a few subjects. Some decide to quit after graduation and select a role in an organization where they are required to apply that understanding in their workplace. While a few decide to pursue their post-graduation and doctorate, and carry out research. These students contribute to the growth of the subject. Even at the workplace, we need to constantly apply our minds to the subject matter.
Thus, learning is a constant process. Then why is there so much hue and cry about the 10th and 12th grades? It is because we are in a hurry to judge our kids and declare them either champions or failures. We have put in enough years as parents, and that’s why we are restless. We are desperately waiting for trophies in the form of the percentage of our kids in the Board exams. Kids have also internalised our restlessness and therefore become desperate to get us these medals. Why is everyone so restless? Because we have a huge population base and opportunities are limited and therefore there is tough competition for almost every seat in good colleges and similar competition for getting a “good job”.
Can we see the source of restlessness? It lies in the concept of “good job” or “good assignment”. It’s not only the students and their parents who are restless due to the worry that their kids will not be able to get a “good college” or a “good job” or a “good assignment”, I have seen the bureaucrats, businessmen and the politicians also equally worried because we have never contemplated on the meaning of “good”. Since we have not understood the meaning of “good”, we pass on our confused understanding of the concept to our kids and make them equally restless.
“Good” can’t be “good” in every aspect. Some career will be “good” because it will yield huge money, some career will be “good” because there will be lot of opportunities to learn, some career will have “good” opportunities to travel, some “good” in terms of security, some “good” in terms of the intellectuals we get to interact with, some “good” in terms of the authority to make a difference. Similarly, some colleges will be “good” to get fat packages, some “good” in terms of brands, some “good” in terms of alumni, and so on. First of all, we have to get absolute clarity on what we want in our lives and why we want the same. Most people start the preparation for civil services by confusing responsibility with power. If somebody doesn’t want to misuse the authority, that’s a 24*7 responsibility. If we choose civil services for that “responsibility” then why so many civil servants feel frustrated and crib about the workload? That’s because our “goodness of civil services as a career” was misplaced, and we imagined as students that it is unlimited authority without responsibility and hard work. That’s what happens when we do not fully understand the concept of “good” fully.
My “concept of good” may again be quite different from the “concept of good” carried by society. It is because I may be different from the average society, and that’s why I may find it difficult to find people like me. I have faced this issue quite often and face it even today. For most people in society, enjoying parties, dancing, and having fun may be “good”; this is not “good” for me. I love to write, read, and contemplate. Initially, it took time to understand and say “no,” but I learnt with time, and now I have found many more people like me, and we lead our lives accordingly. That makes us happy and fulfilled. We take mindfulness sessions for the kids, and that fills us with joy. That may not fall within the definition of “good life” of society, but how does that matter? What is the use of following the widely prevailing definition of “good” and remaining unhappy? “Happiness” is an inner concept. Even if the entire world says that we are happy because we have a “good family”, “good job”, and “good home”, we may still be unhappy because we are not doing what gives us happiness. Each one of us has to discover internally what makes us happy.
“Lack of awareness” makes us dull, but “limited awareness” makes us restless. A child who has no awareness of the bacteria and worms in the mud plays happily in the mud. Parents who have limited awareness become panicky when they see their kid playing in the mud. And the well-aware parents just chill. They understand that this exposure to mud will help the kids develop immunity, and that will help them stay healthy. The aware parents understand that health is not about never falling ill. Rather, it is about having the strength to fight back and become healthy. Similarly, the parents who have limited awareness about life become restless about the percentage of their kids in the 10th and 12th grades. While the parents who have a greater understanding of life know that learning is a lifelong process, and they just want their kids to develop “love for learning” just like “immunity”. 10th and 12th Board examinations are not like a battlefield where one has to win the battle; rather, they are like the preparatory ground for a larger battle of life. A kid may do very well in the practice ground and grow arrogant or fixated to suffer later in life, while a kid may not do so well but may learn his lessons for life and develop immunity that helps him stay fit throughout his life.
