What an Idea Sirjee !

So its official now...speculations are over,curtains have been drawn and in words of Kapil Sibal "Exam Phobia Psychosis has been cured." Ministry of Education has come up with a new plan for 10th boards.So while relieved students are throwing back books in closet, some sincere one's confused and parents simply confounded , here are some of its salient features-

From now onwards,

-->CBSE Boards would be optional and conducted on-demand (In age of on-demand movies,on-demand food and even on-demand matrimony...how can education be far behind!)

-->Board examination will be graded,thereby making a guy with 91 marks equivalent to the nerd notching 99 marks.(They always said school is a big equaliser!)

-->Weightage of marks would be 60 pcnt academic and 40 pcnt on overall development to be internally evaluated by school.((My punjabi neighbour Mrs Chadda have stopped bragging about her son's academic conquest and is looking for a football and music tutor now ,lest her son lose competitive edge)

Amongst all the steps taken,I feel grading is the most needed one.Grading ,if implemented uniformally would save the child from the quintessential rat-race at the age of 15.Now if I get 'just' 91 pnct marks in 10th I need not give up my dreams of becoming Particle Physicist.On the other hand I wouldn't be forced to study rotation and electomagnetism if all my interests involve brush strokes and pastel colors.I will be evaluated on the subjects I love rather than forced upon.

But the most important accomplishment would be nurturing a generation of multidimensional personalities.It is a proven fact that most of the innovation results in past came from mixing of knowledge of many unrelated fields of study.We will have keen learner of sciences with creative and artistic bent of minds.We will have hundreds of Da-Vincis, Newtons and Franklins in the making(No , I'm not talking about Priory Of Sion!).We will not be creating doctors and engineers simply to serve Big Corps but a breed of enterprising thinkers and doers.I recall words of a dunce school student and one of the greatest minds of all time-

"Logic will take you from A to B...Imagination will take you everywhere"

-Albert Einstien

Those who remember the Vigyaan show broadcasted during solar eclipse somewhere in around 1997(Dont remember the year precisely...but it was my first solar eclipse ever and I watched that show simultaneously participating in a Havan!) will remember Prof. Yashpal Sharma voicing similar concerns.He said children being so engrossed in scoring marks that they have ceased to enjoy art ,literature and creative pursuits that spawn imagination.The steps by education minister...might just be the remedy.

But is this picture too rosy to be true? At this point I am reminded of a center fresh advertisement (hyperlinked)showcasing New Powerful India with its army of dedicated scientists,doctors, policemen and even politician with a patriotic background score.Ad freezes midway and is replayed...but this time without background score and true corrupted face of India is revealed as if its part of our social DNA.Ad ends with punchline..."India...Baatein Kam ...Kaam Zyada"



So is my optimism about future generation simply an illusion due to some background score.Will Indians,true to our DNA depicted in AD, find a shortcuts and bypass this reform too.Here are few of the things which might play a spoilsport--

-->Without a third party evaluation(CBSE)..almost entire evaluation reside in the hands of local teacher.Since favouritism/buttering is rampant in schools...a fair assesment might not be possible.Recollect your school days.Don't you remember ur marks especially in practicals and Viva directly infuenced by ur 'Image'

-->In India,where every pot of money seems to have 'Connection' with someone in ruling class,'Influence' from well to do families will give undue advantage to many.

--> Without clear guidelines of evaluation,a teacher's opinion of overall development varies a lot.Hence it'll be difficult to maintain uniformity.

-->With structure of 12th class board being the same ,one may surely be apprehensive of removing 10th boards which were a great practice for it.One might think...."When I'll ultimately be evaluated only on academic front in 12th...why take a different route in 10th"

-->We might end up creating more Mrs Chaddas(read salient features above) whose sons will be coerced for extra-curricular tuition now

Let us hope that necessary issues are looked into...and future scientists/economists/artists/musicians/actors/soldiers get the launchpad they deserve.Otherwise they all will end up with a screen name pallindrome writing a blog called notrawketscience.....:)