Recent CBSE board examinations for classes X & XII throw up an important issue, that of lack of time. A couple of papers later, trend shows that papers are “too lengthy” and many students are unable to complete them, inspite of knowing the answers.
Well, in a country where “time” is hardly a priority even where it’s an absolute necessity, and where even a slight delay may lead to terrible mishaps, why, pray, do the examination systems pressurize children to huff-puff, rush and answer 30 odd questions in 3 hours? Would the heavens fall if they’re given a fewer questions or a little more time, so that they can perform to their best potential? Why this “Time Out” dilemma?
Competition… one would say. And speed is the essence of competition. Things must get finished in time, on time. Oh! In a country where an official can stay at a post for 3 years without doing much, where courts may take 14 years to decide a case which gives a punishment of 7 years, where a terrorist like Kasab, having created havoc in the 26/11 incident can live on for an indefinite period as the “proceedings” are still on even after two years and four months, students are stressed into performing the most important exams of their lives in 3 hours.
In a county where clear cut landlord-tenant cases to hand over the house to its rightful owner can take the whole life time of the person, where a young criminal can live happily to old age before his case can be solved and he punished, where Governments can sit for 5 years and not answer even 15 simple questions, forget HOTS type questions, or provide solutions to even 15 pressing problems of society, what is the great ambition to traumatize young teenagers to complete 30 tough questions correctly in just 3 hours ?
Otherwise… “Time Out”! Paper is taken away, and perhaps a career opportunity too. The poor child comes out of the examination hall dejected and hassled because he knew the answers but ran out of time.
Time bound competition and perfect peak performance under severe stress is perhaps the only way to judge competency or genius. Well, when with the Commonwealth Games 2010 were just round the corner, pray tell me how many of the projects had been completed on time? And was the Government or other agencies responsible in any way traumatized that time was running out? How and when the CWG infrastructure was completed, we all know. And we had the prestige and the image of the nation at stake. How competitive do we call our “Bharat Mahan” then?
Where trains, buses, flights, doctors, hospitals, emergency services… nothing runs on time. Where Reliance tells its consumer, plagued by 15-20 marketing calls a day and that too during one’s child’s board exams, that it will take at least 45 days for them to activate a “Do Not Disturb” for our line, isn’t it ridiculous. There’s no “Time Out” for all these people.
Where India is losing heavily on revenue for not having yet registered the “Basmati” Rice as a Geographical Indication, there’s no time out? There are all kinds of “Basmati” being sold all over the world and we, inspite of having a relevant Act enforced for the past 7 and a half years, haven’t been able to register our most important export item. No time out?
Well, I am not advocating that children shouldn’t be tested for their genius, competency and caliber in exams. But can we not have an examination system where to test these and much more, we do not pressurize the children. Many may be geniuses but not necessarily jet-speed performers. They surely can be given tougher questions but enough time to be able to write the answers comfortably. If this country can give an official 3 years on a posting or the Government 5 years and still not expect much results, isn’t it grossly unfair to expect board students to answer a lengthy paper in 3 hours?
Because… even if they do and reach the highest positions in this country, they may not end up doing anything for years together! Yeh kaisa Bharat Mahan…?
Even as I write this, there is news that the Delhi “Right of Citizen to Time Bound Delivery of services Bill, 2011” is in the offing. Once this is cleared, then government servants failing timely delivery of certain services may be liable to pay a fine per day of delay. Well, let’s hope… and wait…. and watch…!
– By Manisha Gupta, Researcher, Trainer & Consultant
