Sharing a note on a social media platform, Shashi Tharoor said not taking away a child’s dignity and self-confidence because s/he was unable to score high marks in exams is not the correct way to deal with kids.
With several state boards having released the board exams 2023 date sheets and the CBSE and CISCE set to declare the timetable likely by this month, students and their parents might anxious. Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor has asked everyone to stop judging their children only on the basis of exam marks. “We overemphasise exams in India,” he said.
Sharing a note on the social media platform, Twitter, the MP said not taking away a child’s dignity and self-confidence because s/he was unable to score high marks in exams is not the correct way to deal with kids. Among the students who are sitting for the exam, there is an artist who doesn’t need to understand math, there is an entrepreneur who doesn’t care about history or English literature and a musician whose chemistry marks won’t matter.
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“If your child does get top marks, that’s great! But if he or she doesn’t…please don’t take away their self-confidence or dignity from them. Tell them it’s OK, it’s just an exam. They are cut out for much bigger things in life. Tell them, no matter what you love them and will not judge them,” the note read.
“This letter should be read by all parents on the occasion of #NationalEducationDay, marking the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (India’s first Minister of Education, 1947 to 1958). We overemphasise exams in India. Let’s stop judging our kids by exam marks alone!” tweeted Tharoor.
Several social media users commented on Tharoor’s post with several agreeing to him. “Superb ! Every human being has an inborn talent in him / her but it’s irony of our society that instead of focusing on talents of d kid we force our own thought for them , it’s crucial for even grownups also to understand & expand their talent,” tweeted one user.
While some blamed it on the education system. “Parents are completely influenced by the system their kids will have to go through. So, the onus is on education system.,” tweeted one while another wrote, “Merit does not get recognition in India and there is no equal opportunity for everyone to hone their natural skills. Marks is just one issue.”