Stereotype notions need to change

Abhiveer Singh

Exams, exams and more exams! The Indian education system needs a drastic change. In 2023, why are we rote learning the books of the past decade? Why are we still following the rules of older generations when they were clearly supposed to change a long time ago? Why isn’t the syllabus of our books changing along with today’s times?

I am in Class XI right now and see the need of a dire change. We must shift from improving student’s IQ only to improving the EQ (Emotional Quotient) and SQ (Social Quotient) along with IQ (Intelligence Quotient).

In India, not much importance is given to extra-curriculars like debates, MUNs which would make the students aware of what is going on the world and to think of a possible solution for a problem.

Instead of developing a student’s ability to solve the world’s problems and increasing his/her confidence, a student is pressurised to get 100/100 in his test.

Not only does this put unnecessary burden on a student, but also inhibits his/her personality development. I have friends who score great marks, but fail at public speaking, which is an essential skill.

Moreover, for a job interview, soft skills are important which students severely lack.

If students pursue something they have an interest in, they have a high probability of succeeding in it.

What is their subject of interest? Well, they don’t have a clue. Why? That is because students are not trained to know that they must understand themselves to find their subject of interest.

True education is when one understands oneself thoroughly and know one’s strengths and weaknesses.

Many students are forced to take science stream to become an engineer or a doctor, and get a “good life”.

That is the standard path which most students take without asking themselves why. There has been a rise in mental health issues, suicide rates among teens because they give in to the pressure of such a competitive world.

College cutoffs are at an all-time high which gets me tense about my future.

I recently came across a father asking when he should put his 8-year-old kid for tuitions to start preparing for JEE. I understand that parents want the best for their child but building a safety net around them is certainly not going to help their loved one.

They must let their child take risks and learn from his/her experience. The current education system seems to be against that notion.

It is only going to get worse for students if the education system does not change. Education must be done out of interest, and not as a requirement.

The writer is a student of Class XI, YPS, Mohali