Entrance-exams are known to create enormous pressure on students which, in my opinion not only deteriorate the quality of education but also constantly pushes students and teachers towards the limited vision for understanding and knowledge acquisition. It probably leads to the partial loss of the purpose of education. Although, I am not completely against exams, but I am certainly passive towards the importance of exams in life and believe in focusing more on knowledge acquisition that qualifying an exam.
Despite this fact, the purpose of formal school and college education for most parents and students is to succeed in one or other exam and not towards values that education imparts. Students are repeatedly given examples of toppers and forced to become one.
Even at the level of higher education most students focus more on the next level of exams like for entrance in master’s degree course or research fellowships rather than the skill improvement and value acquisition, which again limits the students learning objectives to merely solving old year’s question papers and always seeking what is important for exam and what is not. This has led to large deterioration of value and quality education. This at the end of formal education leads to poor employability.
What can be done?
Although there has been a lot of debate on present education model in developing countries like India, a little substantial progress has been made. Perhaps, the revision will take its own course and it is expected that responsible people must be working on it. But a positive side that we can foresee is the transformation of ourselves, we as a students or teachers can also emerge and contribute a lot to enhancing the level of education by changing the learning approach. I have witnessed an atmosphere of race and quest for qualifying exams in students, and also the teachers who train students to become successful in those exams. Probably, the purpose of education was never to prepare students for exams, rather to truly educate them. An inquiry based education system must be developed and lot of student-teacher engagement must be made mandatory. Choice based systems (already implemented in several good colleges and universities) is a good option, which can also be extended to schools.
Don't jump into a race!
Most parents constantly pressurize their children to obtain better ranks in exams, teachers appreciate students who perform best in exams, and students also then become restricted to content important for exams, leaving them always wondering what is important for exam and what is not. Tradition of coaching institutions and blind practice of old year questions has largely deteriorated the true meaning of education. This leads to an undesirable race for exam. May it be medical entrance exams or engineering entrance exams after senior secondary level, or postgraduate entrance exams. The exams are certainly a good measure to evaluate the skills of an individual and selecting them for specific courses, but that should not be turned into the ultimate goal.
Whats the ultimate goal ? Exams ! No..
Since a child begin its education, its goals are already set, either by parents or by peers or by teachers. But have you ever wondered, why do u need to qualify that exam? May be your answer is to get a good college or institute, but then again why good college? Because you get good infrastructure, good facilities and good mentor-ship. Agree! But what next. For the want of a good career? And a good career because you get good salaries and because u can spend your life happily, buy a car, own a house, go for touring and sometimes may feel doing philanthropic activities. So, I presume, this as the ultimate goal, everyone is being into this race because you want to be happy in your life and everyone does. So, why worried if you failed in an exam. That was never your goal.
Let’s understand in a simple way, suppose you have to go to a place for party with your friends, you have many options like you can take auto, car or bus, So if u miss one of the means you can always choose another one. As far as you are well in time, missing an auto, or a bus or metro should not worry you, and if you happen to attend that party you hardly care that you missed a bus for reaching there. Message is clear, exams are just means to reach you to ultimate goal of your life, happiness.
But one may argue, that there is competition at each level, why we should not worry about exams? Why you let others choose you, you choose yourself what you like. No one knows you better than yourself, so is examination agencies. No exam is so perfect that it checks your all skills, you may have some talent that was not tested in that exam. So, why don’t you polish that move on to your goal? There is no harm in changing your career goal, changing the target exams if you find you could not do it, rather than worrying and running behind one exam and spending valuable years of your life. And never look at others especially your peers, if they have got top ranks and you could not make through, doesn’t matter.
Aquire value and not ranks !
Finally the message to all students is that, getting a good rank is of course appreciated and should motivate you and others, but don't make it a goal of your life and never make this your source of inspiration. You compete with yourself, make yourself better everyday, and acquire skills so that you become competent enough in this competitive world. Ranks in exams will give you temporary success, but skills and knowledge will give a life long success.
Unfortunately, it is a paradox that exams are not truly an index of skill identification and understanding correct temperament and interest, yet knowledge never fails. No matter get a job or not, no matter you get degree or not, true knowledge will always drive you to success and happiness. Though, I am not a policy maker, yet based on my experiences, I appreciate the skill based selection and giving importance to statement of purpose and individual interest. Ideas and innovations must always be appreciated and such students must be given higher privilege than those merely becoming toppers of exams. In fact, most exams should be turned into a competency exams which involve integrated analysis of skills, interest and potentials of students. The present MCQ based questions seems to present and incomplete evaluation of suitable candidates. This also leads to inflow of several unsuitable and un-interested candidates, while some interested and passionate candidates stay behind. A parallel horizontal entry system or alternate mechanisms must be developed to uplift such talents and groom them in national or global interest.