SPRING IS THE SEASON of creation, renewal and rebirth, a time when nature blooms in its resplendent glory, offering inimitable expression of beauty. But alas, our children, nature’s most wonderful creations, are deprived of its magnificent manifestations because the month of March which heralds the start of India’s too brief spring, is also the season of school-leaving board examinations — a time of extreme pressure and stress.
Steadily, year after year, children have become victims of the great expectations of ambitious parents and a warped education system which gives excessive emphasis to grades, marks and scores, almost entirely neglecting other facets of education which will substantially contribute to their success, happiness and fulfilment as individuals. The rising number of suicides committed every year by young students is a rude reminder of a flawed examination system, apathetic society, and unreasonable parental expectations.
Unwittingly, parents often see their own image in children, and driven by good intentions, would like them to achieve their (parental) dreams and desires. Foolishly, they believe they are offering their children a great opportunity to attain the goals and ambitions they failed to attain. Sad but true, in contemporary India prime importance is given to assessment of intellectual ability and measuring it through written tests, with school-leaving board exams having degenerated into tests which reward memorisation and cramming power. Of course, this fault is not entirely of school managements and teachers. The academic community in the country’s elite colleges, which rewards rote learning, is the prime culprit.
In his classic work Frames of Mind — The Theory of Multiple Intelligences (1983), Dr. Howard Gardner, renowned Harvard professor of education and cognition, classified intelligences under nine heads, viz, linguistic-verbal, logical-mathematical, spatial, kinaesthetic, musical-rhythmic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic and existentialist. In this and subsequent books, Dr. Gardner posited that all children have prime and subsidiary intelligences. Thus, a student may have a strong spatial intelligence but weak logical-mathematical capabilities. Given encouragement, her strong spatial intelligence could transform her into an excellent architect but a mediocre engineer. India’s great cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar was gifted with excellent kinaesthetic and intrapersonal intelligences which were honed and enabled him to flower into a globally-acclaimed sportsperson.
Therefore teachers — and especially parents — should bear in mind that proficiency in academic subjects is not the be-all and end-all of education. A wider view of learning is required so that children acquire essential life skills and are enabled to discover their prime intelligences. As nurturing parents, we should guard against exerting excessive pressure on children and youth to excel academically, and recognise that it’s as important for them to develop co-curricular and extra-curricular capabilities.
Every child cannot evolve into the likes of the great scholar Dr. S. Radhakrishnan or Nobel laureate scientist Sir C.V. Raman.
But every child possesses several intelligences, attributes and talents which if encouraged and developed, can flower into excellence. Therefore grades and marks in school and collegiate exams are far from being a true yardstick of an individual’s capabilities. Teachers and parents should focus on children developing communication, empathy, anger and emotions management capabilities, and encourage creativity and problem-solving skill sets. These are life skills which will ultimately enable them to succeed in their adult roles and vocations, even if their academic mark-sheets are not admirable.
Instead of being paranoid about school board exams, parents should encourage children to develop a hobby, and become empathetic counsellors during the season of examinations. They should be involved in their recreational activities and provide diversions to alleviate tension. Friendly and frank communication is essential between parents and children, who should face exams stress problems together. The day board exam results are declared should not become the day of judgement. It’s enough children realise that hard work never goes unrewarded. It may not pay out immediate dividends but deferred recompense will surely come in later life.
Many well-meaning, but short sighted, pushy parents aggravate stress in children caused by flawed examination systems. It’s our duty to heed the quiet anguish of our children and students. Our support system should be strong enough to so fortify them that they don’t wilt under the pressure of studies. The message should ring loud and clear that there is life beyond grades.
So, parents, teachers! Take it easy. Let us be the sunshine, the wind and the rain to provide sustenance to the tender buds in our care and help them unfurl and blossom at their own pace and undertake the journey of life with a spring in their step.
(S.C. Arora is vice chairman of Lotus Valley International School, Noida)