Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Are We Ashamed of Merit???


Every other day, we read accounts praising the Indian brain; we are awed by the pay packages that are being offered to the students of our elite institutes. Yet we also come across stories relating to the so called improvement of our educational system.

Why is it that we are so adamant to change the educational system which has enabled us to emerge as global leaders in the field of education? Recently there was a report that CBSE was going to introduce 20% project work in Mathematics for 10th standard students. It was aimed at reducing the fear that this subjects induces in the minds of children. Already CBSE has done away with examinations and home assignments in the junior classes. All this is aimed at easing the pressure on the students.

Agreed there is pressure on the students but the educational system is in no way responsible for it. And besides by undertaking such steps we are only encouraging mediocrity. I fear that if we continue such measures that day is not far away when our students would be using a calculator to compute 7+5=12; just like their American counterparts.

Another issue which has been doing the rounds lately has been that of reservation and I am of the opinion that by increasing reservation we are doing nothing except diluting the quality of our premier institutes. It would do more harm than good. Reservation is not the panacea for all the ills that plague those who have not been able to reach the level of merit required for admission in the top notch institutes. Those who have reached the top have not become brilliant overnight; the foundation of the intelligent powers of these students would have been laid right from the primary school stage. Years of sustained effort has alone enabled them to rise to the pinnacles of success.

It’s high time that the politicians stop thinking of pleasing their vote banks and recognize the value of merit. The need of the hour is to preserve merit and not being ashamed of it.

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