Pratap Bhanu Mehta writes: Dear Students Struggling with Exam Chaos and Scams
Exams are stressful, and the latest NEET and CBSE scandals will add to the stress by diminishing trust in the system. But you see, we cannot say sorry. After all, the prime minister himself wrote an inspiring book for you called “Exam Warriors”.You are warriors in the service of the nation. In case you had any doubts, the Hindi translation of the prime minister’s book also uses the English term “warrior”. War is a cruel business. Battlefield chaos is never pretty; there are glitches, casualties, and setbacks. The prime minister himself gave you recipes for reducing exam stress, making yourself physically fit by doing yoga and pranayama, all sage advice if you do believe exams are like wars.The education system might seem to you like organised and systematic cruelty. It is, and it is by design. But it is preparing you for the battlefield that is Indian society: It tests your endurance. To spruce things up, we have injected an element of chaos. Like warriors, we do not expect you to get upset, to complain, to hold the highest authorities accountable, to ask questions, like what is the whole point of this cruel system. Like warriors, you take this on the chin, be stoic about it, and get ready for battle again. You see, all we can offer you is a character-building exercise. After all, India’s foundations are built on that. When the economy you will enter is in distress with fewer jobs, we will ask you to sacrifice for the sake of the economy. Even our actual warriors, the soldiers, have to rely largely on their character. For a government strong on defence, the budget for procurement was stagnant for a decade. And look, real soldiers also work under conditions where there are procurement delays and maybe even scams. Now this has happened in exams: Think of a dysfunctional OSM system as the equivalent of our brave Air Force not getting planes on time. Defence needs character. So does higher education.
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