“Sir, how are you?”
“Where is now?”
“Exam was over.”
“Now results was came.”
“I get 72 percent.”
These are the messages that I received from a student who passed BA (English language and literature) from a university in Kerala. It was a late night, and as I wished her good night, I was thinking about the whole conversation and the alarming situation the country is in.
I know the student. She is the topper in the class. I know other students too who are in the same batch and who have also managed to pass the examination – but what I am concerned about is how their performance is evaluated by a university. A student who completes a degree course in English language and literature doesn’t even know how to construct a sentence without mistakes. This is not about just one university producing several thousand dumb graduates every year. Perhaps this is the case with most other universities in India.
The reasons could be many. For those who evaluate, it is the pressure from universities to ensure that the highest percentage of students pass the exams. For universities, it is to prevent themselves from being degraded. For UGC, it would be pressure from the government due to the poor performance of the universities in the country. And for the government, it is all about convincing the public that the government is doing well in the education department.
I am surprised to see the pass percentage in SSLC in India’s highest literate state, Kerala, which is 98.82! If we conduct a random test by an independent agency of those who have come up with flying colours, I am sure that most of them wouldn’t even get pass marks in the exams. Why worry – similar mockery is awaiting them at higher secondary, graduate and post-graduate levels! The situation is worse in other states of the country.
A few of those students who thus come out of the universities would turn professionals to ‘build’ India, a few would become teachers to ‘enlighten’ coming generations, many of them would opt for those innumerable government jobs to ‘serve’ the nation and a few would become rikshawalas or goons. The most crooked who don’t even have the muscle power or attitude to work would opt for the greatest of all professions – politricks!
You may point out a few institutions that offer better education. You may also come up with examples from metros where the institutions compete with each other to perform better. However, the above facts can’t be ignored. Even in such circumstances where a candidate performs well after his or her education, I would say that it is their personal merit. There is an inherent quality in Indians to rise above all odds – that’s in their blood!
More than a generation of wise, educated and sensible youth who would face the challenges of the modern times, it seems India needs dumb heads who would vote blindly – all that they need to know is to identify the colour of a flag, and they should have enough education to read the names of their leaders contesting in the elections!
Pardon me, these words may hurt many, including those who celebrate the ‘success’ of their kids. Yet I wonder – where are we heading to?
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