Marked for success? Maybe not

Aditya Mukherjee 

Back in the eighties, when I was a student of humanities, anybody getting around 60-65% in aggregate in the boards was a big cause for celebration. I secured second division. In fact, the very mention of first division meant that the student was really diligent. Sweets would be distributed by exultant parents in the neighbourhood. Humanities was generally considered low scoring and many would quip that to score good marks in this discipline was akin to boiling the ocean! Even a second division was considered no mean feat. It was widely assumed that the student had put his nose to the grindstone to secure good marks.

But now we are living in the age of percentage. With each passing year, the 90% and above brigade is just going up, especially in — wonder of wonders — humanities. The amount of media limelight these toppers steal is mind-boggling. They become overnight celebrities on social media as well.

The flip side, however, is not difficult to fathom. The unimaginably liberal marking system, even in disciplines like humanities, which is mostly analytical in nature, defies explanation. Full marks in maths and science are par for the course. But now, we are inured to the spectacle of seeing students scoring full marks in subjects like political science, history, economics and even psychology. No wonder, these days, students from humanities mostly emerge toppers at the all-India level, pipping science students. 

But in this lemming-like madness, students scoring less percentage are falling by the wayside. Is today’s education system encouraging a healthy competitive streak among students or making success the be all and end all of school life? The jury seems to be out on this. 

If a student secures 60-65% in humanities in the boards, which is in the category of first division, it is not considered commendable by any means. He/she also cannot even dream of getting admission to a good college in a regular course. They are marked out as incompetent and mediocre. Many students even slip into depression. It has not been proved yet that students securing fewer marks than so-called toppers are not the sharpest knife in the drawer or devoid of grey cells. There are also numerous instances of late bloomers who were otherwise mediocre students in school.

Perhaps, this Darwinian battle for supremacy in percentage has been triggered by the urge to get into a good college. While there is no denying the amount of hard work and sincerity involved in scoring 90% and above in the final board examination, the question is, how many of these toppers are really that successful in the choppy waters of practical life, which is a different kettle of fish altogether?