Vijay Garg,
India’s education system is a paradox of pride and peril. Each year, boards like CBSE, ICSE, and state authorities announce stellar results, with students routinely scoring above 95% or even perfect 100s. In 2024, CBSE reported over 24,000 students scoring above 95% in Class 12 exams, a number that has steadily risen over the past decade. Newspapers splash photos of toppers, schools and coaching centers flaunt banners claiming credit, and social media celebrates these academic triumphs. On the surface, this signals a promising generation. Yet, peel back the layers, and a troubling question emerges: Are we nurturing humans or merely machines programmed to chase marks?
The Bitter Truth: Marks Over Meaning
The obsession with high scores has warped the purpose of education. Rote learning, or “ratta,” dominates classrooms, with students memorizing answers from guides rather than understanding concepts. This approach produces impressive report cards but leaves students ill-equipped for life’s challenges. A 2023 study by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences found that 11% of Indian students aged 13–17 experience anxiety disorders, often linked to academic pressure. Tragically, this pressure can be fatal: in 2022, over 2,600 student suicides were reported, many tied to exam stress or unmet expectations, as seen in the case of a Delhi student who took her life after scoring 96% in 2021, feeling she had failed her parents.
The system’s flaws are starkly exposed when toppers falter in real-world scenarios. In 2016, a Bihar topper who scored 100% in her board exams struggled to answer basic questions on television, revealing a gap between marks and understanding. This isn’t an isolated incident but a symptom of a culture that prioritizes numbers over skills like critical thinking, emotional resilience, or self-reliance. Students are taught to compete, not to grow. Friendship, sports, music, and introspection—essential for a balanced life—are sidelined in the race to outscore peers.
A Showy System and Contradictory Claims
The education ecosystem thrives on spectacle. Coaching institutes, a $24 billion industry in India as of 2023, claim credit for toppers, boasting of their “guidance.” Schools counter that their teachers and curricula are responsible. Yet, when toppers speak, many attribute success to personal hard work, denying external help. This contradiction exposes a system more concerned with appearances than substance. Parents, too, fuel the frenzy, comparing their children to neighbors’ high-scoring offspring, eroding confidence and joy in learning. A 2021 survey by the Indian Council of Medical Research found that 63% of students felt parental pressure to achieve high marks, contributing to mental health struggles.
The Ramanujan Counterpoint: Genius Beyond Grades
Contrast this with the story of Srinivasa Ramanujan, a self-taught mathematician from a small Tamil Nadu village. Born in 1887, Ramanujan had no access to elite schools or libraries, yet by age 12, he mastered college-level mathematics. Using chalk and scraps of slate, he discovered theorems that baffled scholars. In 1913, at age 25, he sent a letter filled with original formulas to G.H. Hardy at Cambridge University. Hardy, initially skeptical, called Ramanujan a “mathematical Mozart” after witnessing his brilliance. Despite no formal training, Ramanujan produced over 3,900 formulas, contributing to modern number theory, cryptography, and even black hole physics—work still studied today, over a century later.
Ramanujan’s story is a rebuke to our mark-obsessed system. His genius, driven by passion and intuition, didn’t rely on coaching or credentials. His letter to Hardy—a bold act of initiative—shows what’s possible when talent is nurtured, not quantified. Today’s students, trapped in a cycle of rote learning, rarely get such opportunities to explore their potential.
A Path Forward: Redefining Education
To bridge the gap between marks and meaningful learning, India’s education system needs urgent reform:
1. Prioritize Skills Over Scores: Curricula must emphasize creativity, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence. The National Education Policy 2020 aims for this but lacks robust implementation. Only 15% of schools currently offer skill-based assessments, per a 2023 Ministry of Education report.
2. Embed Human Values: Subjects like ethics, cooperation, and social responsibility should be core, not peripheral, to foster well-rounded individuals.
3. Reduce Coaching Dependence: Schools must be empowered with better resources and teacher training. India’s teacher-student ratio of 1:35 in secondary schools (UNESCO, 2022) hinders personalized learning, pushing students to coaching centers.
4. Support Mental Health: Schools need counselors—currently, only 10% of Indian schools have mental health professionals, per a 2024 study by the Indian Psychiatric Society.
5. Rethink Parental Roles: Parents must prioritize understanding over expectations, fostering open communication to reduce pressure.
A Question for Society
Are we building a society where a child scoring 99% still asks, “Am I happy?” If the answer is uncertain, we must rethink our approach. Education should produce resilient, compassionate humans, not just toppers. Ramanujan’s legacy reminds us that true brilliance transcends marks and thrives on curiosity and courage. Let’s create a system that writes “letters” of opportunity for every child—not to chase grades, but to discover their unique potential.
Note:Vijay Garg is a retired principal and educational columnist based in Malout, Punjab.
