Marks Vs Knowledge

The major problem with India is that the so-called “educated” society considers marks as a reflection of the intelligence or smartness of person-not knowledge, but marks. This puts an enormous amount of pressure on the students, especially during the age of 16-18, when their marks are supposed to matter the most. This affects the physical and mental health of students a lot, which is the sole reason for the humongous number of suicides due to the educational industry. Khurshed Batliwala, a graduate from IIT-Bombay, who is currently the director of YES Plus(Youth Empowerment and Skills Programme) stated in an exclusive chat with ‘The Hindu’ that “It is better to teach people meditation and make them happy rather than teach them mathematics and make them miserable.”

Today’s students study to score more marks and not to gain more knowledge. The ‘Deccan Herald’ recently reported that “Gaining knowledge does not seem to be a priority on students’ list with the educational system geared towards a higher percentage”. And how can one blame students when everyone is prejudiced towards the child who attains higher grades when compared to one who really knows the subject? Every school or tuition center in India seems to have forgotten its basic motto: which is imparting education, in their quest for making students achieve more marks.

Students these days are restricted only to textbooks because that is sufficient enough for them to be able to gain the highest possible marks. Hardly 1 percentile of the students go beyond the scope of the textbook to explore and enjoy what they are learning. We are all victims in this mad rat-race for marks. Marks are temporary; the knowledge that you acquire is permanent.

Also, practical day-to-day application of what is learnt is much more important and holds more value than theoretical bookish knowledge. This unending quest to score more marks continues even in college. There are 5 things that matter more than having good grades to be successful:

Experience: Once you gain experience, the nervousness of being a fresher will be gone. The confidence you gain from experience will go a long way in shaping your career and once you land in a job, all that matters is how you prove your worth and not what grades you had once acquired.
Goal Higher: You might have heard of the quote “Aim for the sky and you’ll reach the ceiling; aim for the ceiling and you’ll stay on the floor.” This quote is very apt in this scenario for, you do not always achieve what you strove to attain. Don’t be disheartened though, remember, failures are the stepping stones to success.
Presentation skills: In today’s world, completing the given task on time just isn’t enough. At times, the way you present your work gains greater weightage than what you have done.
Network: Having a good network of people can be very beneficial in progressing in your field. In today’s world, this really isn’t hard what with all the social networking sites and all.
Time Management: There is a quote that goes like” If you what to become more productive, you need to become a master of your minutes.” If you tackle time efficiently, success is all yours. Prioritize your work and manage time effectively.

Thus, attaining grades is not the ultimate aim in life. They don’t define who you are or what you do. Don’t ever stop learning. Try not to be affected by the herd mentality of the society which lays undue pressure on marks. Just enjoy what you do!

-Sukanya Sundaram

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