We all have a desire to be happy. The pursuit of happiness drives most of us to achieve all that we hope will make us happy. But does it? When students who secure the first, second or even the third position with over 90% marks profess to be dissatisfied with their performance, as an educationist with a career spanning a decade and a half, I wonder if they are, in fact, scared to be happy and contented because of parental pressure which will never let up no matter how much they excel?
The question is why are we setting such impossibly high standards for ourselves? Is doing your best no longer enough? This is causing dissatisfaction and discontentment to slowly seep into the very fabric of our society. Our parents were contented with the bare minimum, but today, whatever we have seems insufficient to meet our rapidly escalating wants and desires. If we choose to be happy or contented with our lot, people equate that with complacency and a lack of ambition or drive.
The desire for more and the quest for perfection dominates every aspect of our lives. It holds true for everything from the number of designer outfits adorning our closets to the cars parked outside our palatial bungalows or the number of A*s we want our children to bring home. As the rat race intensifies, we become like horses on the racetrack of life. As an educationist, I regularly encounter parents who want me to keep pushing their children without giving a thought as to how it will affect their emotional and psychological well-being. Like mounts on a racetrack, they are being urged and constantly pushed to outrun all the others without taking their individual differences into account.
As the academic pressure mounts and the competition intensifies, students are compelled to take on more than most of them can handle, and many of them begin to unravel under the pressure. This manifests itself in the form of panic attacks and psychological issues like depression, anxiety, stress and low self-esteem.
The number of assessments students are subjected to has tripled, and as a result, exam fatigue has set in. According to a study, there is an inverse relationship between exam stress and academic performance in students. The pressure of continuously being subjected to rigorous assessments throughout the academic year negatively impacts student performance. Women are far more prone to stress than men, and it can have an adverse impact on their mental and emotional health and well-being, a study by a student has shown. Relentless academic pressure kills creativity and spontaneity.
A very popular adage about our examination system is: “If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its entire life thinking it is stupid.” Our students find very little time to spend on their hobbies or recreational activities; hence, the [joie de vivre] slowly drains from them. They turn into automatons, trapped in a vicious cycle where they get up, go to school, study, come back and go for tuition, do their homework, complete projects, give assessments, and barely have any time to unwind or relax. Some begin to rebel or crumble under the unrelenting stress and pressure. If they do well, there is the ever-increasing pressure to keep on excelling. If they fall short even by a smidge, they are admonished for not investing their maximum time and effort.
Educationists are uniquely positioned to shape and fashion the skill set of the generations of tomorrow by encouraging divergent and lateral thinking, targeting high-thinking skills and supporting students to become independent thinkers and learners rather than pressurising them to conform and squeeze themselves into predetermined moulds
Not all of us are cut out for the daily grind. We all have our own unique set of skills and abilities. Schools must realise that and provide platforms for children to discover and unlock their potential. The examination system also needs a massive overhaul to shift focus away from the assessments it currently produces. We are not all designed to fit into predetermined moulds; in fact, that would be a great injustice to the majority. We fashion our moulds as we grow, develop and mature. Some of us can emerge as trailblazers in our fields and carve out our own paths in life. With new professions cropping up due to technological developments, with new revenue streams opening up and more and more individuals opting for off-beat avocations, it is important to let students explore what interests them and discover what they excel at.
Academic excellence does not always translate into practical success. It is a lesson that we must learn. Unfortunately, schools do not equip us with the skills and abilities we need to succeed in practical life. Private educational institutions operate like commercial entities rather than as nurseries, instilling students with a sense of responsibility. By treating them as clients, we make them emotionally and mentally handicapped. Pandering to their every whim and overindulging them stunts their mental, social, and emotional growth.
Educational institutions should focus on equipping students with transferable skills that they can later deploy in colleges, universities, and workplaces. Even if they choose to work for themselves, these skills will be useful when dealing with clients, suppliers or manufacturers. The education system has to become more inclusive rather than solely focusing on grades, assessments or exams. There is a need for schools to adopt a more holistic and hands-on approach to learning. Similarly, students should not be averse to taking risks, exploring themselves and embracing their unique skill set to set themselves apart and carve out a niche for themselves rather than blending in with the masses.
The success stories of the 21st century will comprise those who can learn, unlearn and relearn whilst keeping up with the breakneck pace at which technology is developing. I have witnessed a new generation emerging, brimming with talent and potential. As educationists, our main responsibility is harnessing and channelling knowledge in the right direction. Artificial Intelligence has opened scores of avenues, and while it is meant to help and enable students, it is also impeding their mental growth by making them overly dependent on technology. Originality, creativity, ingenuity, resourcefulness, innovation and vision will be highly sought after in the years to come. Educationists are uniquely positioned to shape and fashion the skill set of the generations of tomorrow by encouraging divergent and lateral thinking, targeting high-thinking skills and supporting students to become independent thinkers and learners rather than pressurising them to conform and squeeze themselves into predetermined moulds.
We must simply refuse to join the rat race, end this obsession with grades, and focus on acquiring and honing your skill set to boost your employability!