Making sense of the mad rat race : Time to redefine priorities
- Sangai Express Editorial :: February 19, 2014 -

It is a rat race. A mad one at that.

An observation based from the numerous advertisements that are inserted in the Imphal based newspaper establishments about private tutorial centres.

It covers the whole gamut.

It is not only about tutorial centres to prepare the students for the pre-medical test or engineering courses or civil services exams but also extends to Class X and Class XII students preparing to appear for their Boards exams.

Take the home hired tutors as well as the private tuitions that are being conducted at the residences of teachers and the picture should become clear. Given the system, where it is only marks and marks, without giving due weightage to other aspects of the child’s development, then the obsession with marks is understandable.

On the flip side this is also a sure shot indication that nothing worthwhile is being taught in the classrooms of the schools, no matter the reputation and performance of the schools.

Underlining the point that while parents and guardians are ready to go the extra mile, take time off from their busy schedule to drop and pick up their wards and children from the tutorial centres or from the residences of private tutors and shell out huge amount of money, they have not deemed it fit to raise a single question on why students should feel the need to go in for private tuitions.

Or question why students are not taught adequately inside the class rooms.

An apprehension that their children and wards may be victimised if the parents concerned raise too many uncomfortable questions ?

What is it that parents expect from the schools, which they have chosen for their children ?

There are complaints aplenty about any school whenever groups of parents of the same school meet, but what is stopping them from raising these issues with the schools concerned ?

This is more than an indication that parents are not exactly sure about their expectations from the schools in which their children and wards have been admitted.

Unfortunate it certainly is, and here it may not be wrong to say that more than the students, parents need to do more homework to study and understand what they expect from the schools in which their children and wards have been admitted.

Time to set priorities right.

While there may be nothing wrong in going the extra mile to provide private tuitions and try to crack the 95 pc target or a perfect 10 as in the case of students studying in schools affiliated to CBSE, parents need to give some attention to what their students are being taught at the schools.

It says something pathetic that parents and guardians raise a squeak, not their voices, only over school fees and while this is not altogether wrong, how many parents have deemed it fit to study and inspect how the school libraries are run and managed ? How about the school canteens ?

How hygienic are the eatables prepared at the various canteens in different schools ? How about sports ?

Should schools be just satisfied with organising inter-house sports competition ?

Should not the private schools come together and organise inter-school sports competition in any discipline ? How about inter-school debating competition ?

So far no school, how reputable it may be has deemed it fit to organise an inter-school sports competition or an inter-school debating competition or dramatics.

As things stand today, competition among schools is seen and understood only in the merit list of the board exams.

This is not education, but a mad rat race for marks.

Marks do count a lot but something more needs to be added to the understanding of education.

Inculcating the spirit of fair competition, sportsmanship, healthy inter-school rivalry can come about only when due emphasis is placed on extra-curricular activities.

The Class XII examination conducted by the Council of Higher Secondary Education, Manipur is already underway and from February 20, the Class X examination conducted by the Board of School Education, Manipur will start followed by the examinations conducted by the CBSE and ICSE.

Students and parents will no doubt be keeping their fingers crossed over the marks their children will score, but in the end it is also important to keep in mind that it is not only marks which will ultimately be the benchmark of success.

The overall personality growth of the young students cannot be underestimated.