99% Bah! Students Are Not Brighter, The System is a Sham

As more students get over 95% in their Boards, one wonders if students are really getting smarter or if it’s a sham

The ICSE and ISC results declared on Monday threw up no great surprises. That is, if one has been following the ‘trend’ over the past few years.

There are more students scoring above 95% than ever before – a fact that could push up college cut-offs to an all-time high. Even before CBSE results feature in the mad scramble for college seats, niggling suspicions arise – are students really getting that much brighter? Or is this entire ‘over 90%’ hoopla a mere sham?

Lata Vaidyanathan, veteran educationist and former Principal of Modern School Barakhamba, New Delhi, weighs in:

I have followed Board results for years – the rise of the “ninety percenters”, colleges with 100% cut-offs - I don’t believe students today are any smarter or brighter than students before them. It’s the way evaluations are done and the marking schemes that are allocated to different state boards that has led to this absurd trend.

The results today do not reflect only how well you can drill yourself to fit into the existing system, how well you can perfect your skills simply to appear for an exam. Marks in really a poor indicator of intelligence.

Does the Real World Care About Your Boards?

Take a look at how the ‘real world’ functions. People with high scores who are hired at a job interview may often be soon dispensed with. You may have been that envied 100-percenter in school, but the firm may find you lack practical knowledge, or social skills. Your marks may get you in the door – they may land you the job – but they don’t guarantee you’ll keep it.

Its saddening that more people do not look towards students who have skills beyond academics. What of those who play brilliant music, are gifted artists or nuanced sportspersons? Why are they not being judged on the basis of what they should be – their particular skill set? A musically gifted child should be scored on his music, an artistically talented child on his art. That is what will ultimately bring success to them.

Parents Aren’t Always to Blame

Then there’s the other side of the debate: Are parents giving in to pressures and also pressuring their children? Are they the big bad wolf here?

Truth is, what can a parent really do? They are hapless stakeholders in the system, they have no choice. If you tell a parent their child must bring in 100% because that’s the “going rate” at colleges, the parent will pay his bottom dollar to get it! You can train a dog or a parrot to embrace a certain set of skills. So can you a child.

Is an Overhaul Possible?

Today we need to take a look at how the world is functioning. How do schools abroad treat their students? That should give us a fair idea of how unfairly the system works here.

Yes, one has to bow to the fact that one can’t completely overhaul the marking scheme. Cut-offs and entrance exams exist because one needs an equitable way of looking at students – the vast numbers demands it.

But other things that can be done - Allocating different weightages during admissions could be a way out - allocate 50% of weightage to board results, another 50% to group discussions, interviews and overall portfolio. In an ideal world, soft skills should be measured too – not merely numbers.

(As told to Urmi Bhattacheryya)