Should we stress so much about board exams?

“What you do in the next few weeks will decide how successful you are in life. There is no scope for failure,” a teacher reportedly said, addressing her class about the forthcoming boards exams. It is difficult to say if the statement sounds ominous, advisory or downright bullying, but a classroom of 16-year-olds sat in stilled silence, pondering about the gravity of what they had just heard and fretting inwardly that their teacher had put them on an ultimatum. Buck up or back out.

It is that time of the year when high-schoolers feel flogged by the pressure of board exams. Year after year, students travel this rocky road, saddled with expectations of parents, fears of their own and steamrollering by teachers. And every year, good students pass out, with varying degrees of merit, find their way in life and make inroads into their career — some with relative ease, others with extra effort. Yet, they all make it in the end. They all find their niches. So, what was the teacher’s ultimatum all about? Why is there so much ranting over what is probably the first major instance of self-assessment the children are putting themselves through?

Every year, around this time, I dwell in uneasy exam thoughts on behalf of millions of students who are busy tying up the final knots to take what they have been made to believe is a ‘make or break’ test in their life. It is with great sympathy that I assess the children’s state, neither undermining the value of education nor belittling the importance of exams in their lives. But it irks me that children are made to believe that these board exams will be a barometer of their intelligence, self-worth and social growth, and, above all, an indication of how well or ill they will do in their lives in terms of wealth generation, social status and happy living.

To be fair, parents have toned down their voices in the past few years after debates over children’s mental health gained primacy and instances of teenage depression peaked following exam and admission stress. Despite significant decrease in the decibel levels, undercurrents of fear and foreboding continue to plague students, thanks to covert references to the board exams being a determining factor that builds careers. Students are still keyed up to breaking points and we, as parents, teachers and guardians, need to find definitive ways to relieve them of the pressure.

A little stress, a spur in times of looming lethargy will always work as a motivation; but what I see among many students, even those who have supportive parents, is a mindset that does not allow them to grow into their best versions. It is here that we adults must step in and be a beacon to them, guiding them through their crucial junctures, not by placing excessive importance on performance but by giving them insights into what is good education and how it is in the learning that the merit lies.