Education is More Than Just Grades

The result season is in full swing. One can find students who are over joyous for their good results while others who are dejected for not getting the expected marks. There is competition all around and parents immediately start comparing the result of their child with that of relative\'s children. The competition is good if it motivates individual to work hard but unfortunately there are more negative externalities associated with this fierce race. It has created an undue battle for getting more marks and unjustified pressure on students.

There are quite a few young students around all of us who are getting their results. One such boy in my acquaintances appeared in intermediate (pre-engineering) part one exam held by federal board, Islamabad. His mother was quite depressed and was talking about re appearance of his son in two papers. I was a bit confused as I knew the child was very hard working and he always got extra ordinary results. I could only console her and asked her to take it as an exam and there are many exams yet to come in life. I felt so sorry for him and was double minded about asking the marks when I finally asked whether he has passed. The answer stunned me. He was not only passing but has secured 468 marks out of 550 which means A1 grade.

Yes! He has got above 90 marks in more than one subject. The only thing disturbing him was his low score in Urdu and English. I couldn\'t believe my ears. This was certainly a shock. The feelings of empathy turned into apathy. It is understood that the competition is really tough and a student needs to get high grades in order to get into good university but the marks he got were really good for a pre engineering student and secondly, there is another chance to cover up in part two.

This is not the only story. Our society is full of such examples and it is believed that girls are more cautious than boys. The pressure of this hunger of marks is very dangerous. The greed and fulfilling attitude is not a good sign for such a tender age. The student should get good marks but they should also be taught that education is more than just getting straight As.

This unfortunate state of affairs is ruining the generations. Education, considered to be the corner stone of development, is defined very erroneously in our part of the world. The process that is supposed to build a generation of creative, confident, rational and knowledgeable individuals is achieving everything but the true objectives. The onus does not lie distinctively on the education system but also on the overall mindset in the society. It all starts from the very basic unit - home.

The parents often judge their children by their performance at school. A child performing well and getting distinctions academically is given privileges and is treated as superior to other siblings while a not-so-good or average academic performer is always degraded. Children seldom get appreciation for their kind deeds and well behaved manners but are habitually treasured if they top exams. So much so that a child who is high achiever in terms of marks often gets away with wrong doings and he is always the pride of the family no matter what. On the other hand a somewhat unfortunate average student is treated as a sinner at home and everything is wrong about him.

This is the behaviour of parents that ultimately makes marks and degrees superior to moral values. When a child is fed since his early days that all that matters in life is an illustrious mark sheet and a good number of A grades why would he ever think of considering ethics and character building as something worthy?

There is no wrong in striving for good marks and getting upset when you don\'t get them. The problem is when good marks are considered the only criteria for success. The parents should ask their child to work hard in exams but should not over pressurize him. Students should be taught about life and society outside this exam and grades. The criteria for judging a child should change. This will not only help to make a positive change in them as individuals but would also help them in their practical lives.

As a society we must understand that an individual cannot be expected to develop good ethical traits as a professional when all his student life he was encouraged for nothing but good marks.