Should we do away with exams?
ASHOK GANGULY
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The aggressive stance taken by critics of examinations increases tension and anxiety in the students. Is there a chance to change the system?
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A. M. Faruqui
Of late there is a growing tendency both in the media and among certain people to take a swipe at the entire system of education. The examination process receives special treatment from these critics in such exercises, which have almost become intellectual pugilism for catharsis. The heat that such public outcry and media attention create more often distorts the visions and in the process the total picture becomes nebulous. Not that reform is not called for; as a matter of fact, we should go a step further and demand transformation of the system. But to get into a frenzy particularly at the time of examinations, to fret and to create hype will serve no purpose. On the contrary it is likely to increase perceived tension and anxiety that get reinforced in the minds of children by the aggressive stance taken by the critics of the system.
Race for marks
Though it is a sad fact that examinations do take their toll in a myriad ways on the young in our country it is equally true that it is the society, it is the value system and it is the mass perception that have made a monster out of examinations. In a social milieu that values marks more than development of personality, it is not `learning' but `scoring' that gets glorified. The problem today is that the examination system has also become a victim of consumerism. Surely when a system relies on elimination rather that selection for higher studies and even for jobs, automatically there is a rat race for marks. If a student's future is going to be determined by 0.1 decimal point or less, it is bound to produce winners and losers, the latter often predominating. We have inherited a system, thanks to Macaulay that has firmly fixed in our mind the golden rule: education for employment. Somewhere along the way we have set aside the man-making aim of education and instead have clung to moneymaking aim, which has played havoc with an otherwise quality process that has repeatedly vindicated its strength through the innumerable achievements of our youngsters in a plethora of fields. Schools and colleges glorify examinations; firms and offices glorify it. And at the end it is crucified. Where does the problem lie? What is the remedy?
The Genie and the lamp
One may say — do away with the examination system and do away with the stress. But there may not be many takers for this remedy because there is no viable alternative. Today's ambience throws us back to the times of Arabian Nights. We have come to believe that an examination is like Aladdin's lamp and if we rub it (not on the wrong side!), we will be able to materialise the Genie that will, at our command, fulfil all our wishes. Showering us with admission into a good college, right career options and position. The Genie has to be exorcised and it cannot be accomplished by cribbing with a fragmented view of the system. Also highlighting unfortunate aberrations thrown up by the system serves no purpose except perhaps to heighten the fear perception and hysteria among young students. The author's intention is neither to gloss over such instances nor to pretend that they do not happen. No system is worth the life of a single student and none of us can absolve ourselves of the mammoth responsibility we bear to our children. What is worth considering, however, is that, like all issues, this one also has another side to it. There are children, confident, enthusiastic and self-assured, who look forward to writing examinations! Last year, the author received a phone call from a girl student appearing in the Std. X Board Examination who said, "I have revised my lessons and am ready for the examination. But I don't feel either tense or anxious. Is anything abnormal about me?" I assured the child that she was on top of the world and that it was not imperative to feel stressed and tense at the prospect of writing an examination to qualify to be normal. Perhaps this is an exception to the rule and so are the extreme cases bandied about by the media to pick holes.
Fashion Parade syndrome
If an examination is the body, assessment is the soul. In our pursuit of material fulfilment, we have neglected the soul and bejewelled, ornament and stylised the body to catwalk the ramps of education. When the body is in the limelight, the young are swept off their feet and become oblivious to the more important and more beautiful soul. Teaching is oriented towards examination and learning is conditioned by examination. It is an excellent case of the tail wagging the dog.
Can we do away with examinations? Certainly we can. It will be a very populist measure and initially most of the parents will heave a sigh of relief and many students will celebrate. Fine, but what next? It is a simple question but the answer is not going to be that simple. We are sane enough to accept the fact that we are being assessed constantly by time. It is a process that is not only inevitable but also inescapable. At best examination per se, can be avoided but not assessment because any process, not only in education, but in all human pursuits, need time-bound and timely interventions to learn about the magnitude and direction of change or development.
Ground realities
School-based evaluation practised over a period of time seems to be failing to exert a positive wash back on the entire curriculum transaction. Lackadaisical and at times apathetic attitude by teachers has robbed the evaluation of its credibility and the result has been rather disconcertingly painful. The students reach the final stage of secondary level without acquiring even the minimum levels of learning and when they are evaluated in a Board Examination setting after Std. X, the stark reality of the inadequacies of the school-based system emerges with striking clarity.
There are 41 Secondary School Education Boards in our country. How do we ensure credibility of a completely school-based system, given the wide spectrum of schools, all functioning within a system?
Towards a holistic vision
The process of education, in a formal context, can be perceived as a continuum having three major stages. They are Curriculum Design, Curriculum Transaction and Curriculum Evaluation.
It is an established fact that the performance of students is to a great extent determined by the way in which the curriculum is transacted in the school and in the classroom. If the students are facilitated, motivated and guided to learn in a healthy environment, examinations will not be perceived with the `Day of Judgment' fear. But the bitter fact is that the issue of classroom transaction is seldom discussed or highlighted. The point that is being made here is that we have reached a point of time when we should focus our attention on improving the reach of the curriculum to at the heart of which lies a teacher and institution development.
Conclusion
It is time that parents stopped living their dreams through their children. Help lines have established that more than the fear of examinations, it is the fear of failing parental expectations that is enhancing the stress profile for children. We should also understand that stress is a part of daily existence. In fact, the ability to perform under pressure will stand students in good stead as they get ready to enter the world of work. To completely isolate them from challenging situations would only result in the insulation of students from the realities of the world, rendering them unfit to face competition later in life. The solution lies in bringing about a more responsive and responsible work culture in schools. An empowered teaching community is vital to all attempts at transforming education. Pursuit of excellence has the advantage of not having an end. So, instead of debating whether we should do away with examinations, which seems to be a utopian idea, we should make a concerted effort to improve the system. That is the course of wisdom.
The author is the Chairman of Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi.
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