Students Are Not 'Exam Warriors'

In 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi published a book titled Exam Warriors. It was meant to help young folks cope with the stress of examinations. It was full of ‘generic advice’ as my friend, unfortunate enough to have browsed through it, summed up. I was, however, very struck by the semiotics of the title. Exam. Warriors. Why were students being egged on as ‘warriors’? Why was an exam being framed as a war?

The current government has landed itself in a difficult spot even before the 18th Lok Sabha convened in the new Parliament building. In the eye of the storm is the controversy around the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) or NEET, which is conducted for admission into undergraduate medical programs. It is one of the biggest entrance exams in India.

Around 24 lakh aspirants appeared for the exam in which the question paper was found to be allegedly leaked. Since then, the National Testing Agency (NTA), which is supposed to be conducting the exam, has come under heavy scrutiny. The NEET-PG exam has been postponed, the UGC-NET (National Eligibility Test) has been cancelled, and the NTA chief has been sacked. 

This is not a one-off case. Exam leaks have been becoming more rampant in the past few years. From state board exam papers to competitive exams meant to hire teachers, forest guards, clerks, talatis, police constables, etc, all have seen major leaks. In the midst of all this, has anyone thought about the students, what their mindset is, and how they get affected by such upheavals? How does one make sense of this? 

First, it points to the obvious lack of jobs and economic precarity that is now reaching levels that threaten social stability. Desperate aspirants willing to cross any barrier to ensure success in exams for even minor jobs, speak to a state that has failed in creating meaningful, gainful employment for its youth.

Secondly, it says something deeper about a society willing to put its young into a ‘battle’ for success. Our education system ties a young kid’s self-esteem and self-worth to their grades. For a young person, that one exam is a matter of life and death, a make-it-or-break-it gig. If there is something called the ‘great Indian dream’, it is to undo generations of backwardness and precarity through one exam in a single lifetime. This is especially true for first-generation learners from the SC, ST, and OBC communities.

For many, education is the only pathway available out of their lives and social surroundings. Social elites with intergenerational privileges have other options. International curriculum schools, liberal arts universities and consultancies customise applications to place them abroad in American or European universities.

For the rest, it is slotting in for an entrance exam as per academic talent. The sharpest and hardworking are nudged towards civil services, engineering, and medical exams, followed by law and management entrances. Beyond that are competitive exams for government jobs in banking, railways, etc, followed by entrances for a variety of minor jobs. Lastly, among folks who cannot count on cracking any entrance exam, many men will train physically to crack the eligibility for armed forces and paramilitary recruitments. 

Coaching classes are available for each of these exams, in each state and now in almost all cities and small towns. It is estimated to be an industry worth upwards of Rs 58,000 crores which is almost 60 percent of the entire budget allocated to the Education Ministry. While the coaching industry is growing, the education budget stays stagnant or shrinking. It is not unthinkable that in the next five years, the coaching industry's size will exceed India’s entire education budget.

Whatever little empathy, joy, and ownership that school/college teachers may foster with their students, the coaching industry kills it. It actively breeds the opposite – a mercenary zeal to succeed at all costs. It also actively shames and mocks the ‘weak’. Students whose preparation exam grades drop are ‘demoted’/relegated to ‘lesser’ batches. The coaching centre gives its best teachers to the “best” students who are most likely to crack the exam. More success means more word of mouth and publicity for the centre.

The ones who could not make the cut, can pay fees and try again. Or get lost. They are deemed “soft” and do not have “what it takes”. They are often teased by teachers and other students for ‘wasting time’. Any concept of leisure or enjoyment is seen as blasphemy. The ideal student is one who spends every single minute preparing. The walls of exam aspirants have visualisation targets, schedules, motivation quotes, and sometimes even self-hate negging to motivate themselves through anger and rage.

Students are encouraged to remember every slight, insult and trauma in their life and asked to channel it as motivation. Because the logic that is fed is that once you succeed in the exam, everyone must respect you. With such high stakes, the exam is not just about clearing competition or getting into an educational program or job. It is about proving yourself. Like a national obstacle race, MTV Roadies that Exam Warriors must ace to be “somebody”. Without it, they are nobody. 

In coaching hubs like Kota, and Rajasthan where aspiring students stay to prepare, they are installing ‘suicide-proof’ fans. Like this is a normal thing. One wonders what is next, safety nets from the roof? The thing about warriors is that when they fight, someone wins and someone loses. When exams become warzones, all the students lose.

(Ravikant Kisana is a professor of Cultural Studies and his research looks at the intersections of caste with structures of privilege and popular culture. He is available on Twitter/Instagram as 'Buffalo Intellectual'. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not reflect or represent his institution. Further, The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the author's views.)