Examination : Parad(t)oxically important part of education

    Credits : Aishwarya

    Examination is a test conducted to evaluate the expertise of a candidate concerned with a subject. The examination system was introduced by the 'King of Sui dynasty' of China to select "able" candidates for the post of government services. Is the practice of proving our "expertise" through examination relevant in today's world? 

    In ancient India, the learning process took place throughout one's life. Gurus were considered as gods and revered more than parents. Civilisations were built, the country prospered and ancient Indians excelled in administration, science, mathematics, astronomy, art, medicine etc. Few drawbacks of the ancient system of education as pointed out by the British were that: women were not included in the Gurukuls or Vidyapeet and Varna or Caste system was created which led to evil social discrimination.

    The British introduced the system of examination in India to pick out the candidates who would be loyal to the government irrespective of their cognitive abilities, skills, critical thinking and emotional quotient. Education system introduced by Macaulay was politically motivated to have Indians enslaved, desperate to seek approval and remain loyal to the British government and its system of governing. Written examinations were conducted to evaluate the loyalty and ability to cater to the social terms dictated by the government. Age limit was introduced only for Indian candidates to have young people who could be controlled and influenced by the government. Teachers had to work for a nominal salary as the qualification to become a teacher was just passing in black and white rather than becoming virtuous through real life experience and experiments.

     In modern India, post independence, we did not abolish the system of written examination as a yardstick to become a teacher even in the subjects like dance, music, sports and yoga which require thorough practice physically, emotionally and mentally to gain expertise to teach. Today we have  entertainers, who in least way impact our lives, referred to as youth icons; people who appear on screen with make up and pretend to be someone else saving thousands of life are called heroes irrespective of their contribution to the real society. Unfortunately, educators/ teachers who are responsible to shape our lives and supposed to be role models are treated with least regard. Teachers  in our country are underpaid and overworked.

    The system to prove our expertise through written examination has made us 'literate', but not truly 'educated'. Overrated written examination being the vital part of our system has made our education intoxicated. An education system which is supposed to increase our self esteem by teaching us to be happy, self sufficient, inclusive, empathetic, emotionally intelligent, sensitive, resourceful, responsible and helpful has done exactly the opposite. Ratings and rankings rewarded based on the marks scored in the written examination made the majority of millennials come out beyond paper and pen with low self esteem, insecurity, tendency to seek attention, unpreparedness to live the real life and desire to live vicarious life through social network and other distractions. 

    The education system and the examinations conducted during the pandemic were politically expedient as online classes couldn't give us the charm of real life experience. Exams conducted online could easily be written using google in another device. Students from weaker economic backgrounds were not able to access online classes. If education is imparted without real life experience and interaction, how can it be considered relevant to real life learning?

    Thankfully, Aryabhatta didn't have to write an examination to contribute in the field of mathematics. Shushrutha's intelligence to become the world's first surgeon was not tested through written examination. Patanjali's expertise, research and knowledge in the field of mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health were not approved through his answer writing skills and Buddha didn't have to get his thesis approved to teach the world about peace.

    Age limit to display expertise and learning abilities through competitive written exam has made the employable set of stakeholders of the country's economy fall out of opportunities. Focusing on the future generations by ignoring the burning issues of the present working population would only proliferate unemployed population and brain drain in the country. Confident and happy stakeholders are needed now to create the future intellectual capital.

    Going forward, we should accept the blunders of the education system, focus more on employable skills, make necessary amendments by diluting the age restrictions and include various art forms, sports, yoga, painting, agriculture, martial arts, mental health fitness, sex education, communication skills, etc in the core of the curriculum. Education must not revolve only around literacy as any literate person can sound empathetic and progressive on paper but can be alienated in real life. Giving opportunities to the working population of the age group 35 to 60 to take up professional courses, civil service examinations, public sector examinations and competitive exams would contribute to the intellectual, social, economic, health and happiness capital of the country. If learning has no age bar, why should there be an age limit to take up exams and be employed? The British left us in 1947 with the English education system. Do we still need to stay in that era?