No More Bookworms!

The season of exams is around the corner Datesheets of the school board and university exams have knocked on the door. We are all familiar with our exam routine & symptoms of exam phobia ie. Anxiety, Fear of failure, Stress, and sleepless nights.

Symptoms of the season are very contagious and quickly affect students and their families.

Have you ever wondered why exams stress us out so much? In my opinion, it's because our education system is faulty, It is more interested in creating 'bookworms' than in helping us become smart, skilled people.

The issue with our education system is that it cares a lot about test scores and less about teaching us practical stuff we need in life. Whether it's in school or college, it feels like the only goal is to pass exams and get a job, forgetting about turning us into well-rounded individuals.

But here's the real problem—it's not just the system; it's also how we all think about exams. They've turned into a crazy rat race where anything below 90% is seen as not good enough.

Maybe it's time to go back to the roots and understand that the education system of ancient India was much better than the modern version, The students were supposed to leave their homes and live with their Guru (teacher) in the Gurukuls. These Gurukuls focused on each individual's skills and abilities, enhancing them to the fullest. Gurukuls also helped the students learn the art of living, which is much more needed than math and science.

Modi government aims to focus on vocational training of students rather than bookish knowledge thus launched various schemes like the SKILL INDIA Mission (2015) to train unskilled, semi-skilled people to work across various sectors of the Indian economy, START-UP INDIA Initiative ( 2016) to support young entrepreneurs to transform India from a country of job seekers to job creators & AGNIVEER scheme (2022) to enroll youth directly into defense sector of the country that also without even completing graduation( Age group-17 to 23 year ).

The real aim of education, we should all agree, is to help us balance our personal and professional lives. Look at successful people like Ritesh Agarwal, Gautam Adani, Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg, Yes these people are college dropouts yet living a king-size life.

So, schools and colleges should focus on making us smart and skilled, not just good at exams. Instead of the crazy race, they should help us become people who can handle the real world with smartness and confidence.

I truly believe in Lord Krishna's message to the world.