Monday was THE day for most of us; The HSC Exam, March 2013, Physics. Almost everyone was confident about Physics, putting it down mentally as the subject that would boost our overall percentage. Physics ka kya hai? Tough hai, leking ho jaaega! was what we all believed.We were wrong.
The main reason most of us picked HSC in the first place was because it was TONS easier when compared to the likes of CBSE and ISC. When the State Board decided to raise the level of the 12th standard to that of CBSE, albeit, pissing off as it was, nobody objected. What had to be done, had to be done. There was no two ways about it. All we could do was work a tad bit harder.
So everyone spent a full year slogging, making sure nothing important was left out. Teachers, all with years of experience in dealing with the Boards referred books and notes and cheatsheets to us, so as to make us more and more prepared for everything. By the last few months, it felt like there was nothing left to do, we solved tons of papers, braced ourselves, went to battle , and came back, bruised and broken.
The one question I have is, in a system where it isn't about learning, but about memory, is it even minutely logical to "study" something that that has a very low probability of being asked in the exam? If you ask me, I'd say no! And I bet so would most of my fellow batchmates . Why would anybody in their right senses NOT ask concepts which are actually relevant and important for future study in that subject? Why would they not follow the pattern of important questions, which they have been doing since forever? WHY are they trying to be SOMETHING THEY CAN NEVER BE! Making it more complicated doesn't make it better!
Fact is, the board screwed up. Despite their justification (read news paper clipping below), I have no one to blame but them. As far as their point about us relying about coaching classes is concerned, Yes, we do rely on their notes more than we do on the sad-excuse-for-a-Text-Book the State has provided us. Why? Because the text book is pure bullshit. We find the coaching class notes more student-friendly, we use it! It covers everything that we need to know in a chapter, is to the point, and is always better to refer to, because it is in our very own handwriting! Is the board trying to say that it purposely gave questions it knew wouldn't be there in the notes, just to show us our place? Is this some sort of a cheap form of vengeance? Toying with the future of an ENTIRE BATCH of students is the way the board has of showing us that they are superior?
At the end of all of this, the only people losing out in this mess are the students; especially those who don't happen to have the ability to mugg-up entire books and write it like it is in the "text-books". It's a shame that something people worked so hard for more than a year had to go down this way. The Board doesn't seem to have the common sense to know that just raising the difficulty of an already messed-up syllabus isn't going to "raise it's standards"! If you really want to talk about standards, learn something from the systems in the world that are churning out hundreds and thousands of sound-minded individuals who have been educated in the true sense. Why even the WORLD! In our very own country, we have efficient systems in place. Learn from them!
But then again, I'm probably wasting my time expecting them to "learn". Like that's even possible in a country where everyone just wants to be like everyone else.
The main reason most of us picked HSC in the first place was because it was TONS easier when compared to the likes of CBSE and ISC. When the State Board decided to raise the level of the 12th standard to that of CBSE, albeit, pissing off as it was, nobody objected. What had to be done, had to be done. There was no two ways about it. All we could do was work a tad bit harder.
So everyone spent a full year slogging, making sure nothing important was left out. Teachers, all with years of experience in dealing with the Boards referred books and notes and cheatsheets to us, so as to make us more and more prepared for everything. By the last few months, it felt like there was nothing left to do, we solved tons of papers, braced ourselves, went to battle , and came back, bruised and broken.
The one question I have is, in a system where it isn't about learning, but about memory, is it even minutely logical to "study" something that that has a very low probability of being asked in the exam? If you ask me, I'd say no! And I bet so would most of my fellow batchmates . Why would anybody in their right senses NOT ask concepts which are actually relevant and important for future study in that subject? Why would they not follow the pattern of important questions, which they have been doing since forever? WHY are they trying to be SOMETHING THEY CAN NEVER BE! Making it more complicated doesn't make it better!
Fact is, the board screwed up. Despite their justification (read news paper clipping below), I have no one to blame but them. As far as their point about us relying about coaching classes is concerned, Yes, we do rely on their notes more than we do on the sad-excuse-for-a-Text-Book the State has provided us. Why? Because the text book is pure bullshit. We find the coaching class notes more student-friendly, we use it! It covers everything that we need to know in a chapter, is to the point, and is always better to refer to, because it is in our very own handwriting! Is the board trying to say that it purposely gave questions it knew wouldn't be there in the notes, just to show us our place? Is this some sort of a cheap form of vengeance? Toying with the future of an ENTIRE BATCH of students is the way the board has of showing us that they are superior?
At the end of all of this, the only people losing out in this mess are the students; especially those who don't happen to have the ability to mugg-up entire books and write it like it is in the "text-books". It's a shame that something people worked so hard for more than a year had to go down this way. The Board doesn't seem to have the common sense to know that just raising the difficulty of an already messed-up syllabus isn't going to "raise it's standards"! If you really want to talk about standards, learn something from the systems in the world that are churning out hundreds and thousands of sound-minded individuals who have been educated in the true sense. Why even the WORLD! In our very own country, we have efficient systems in place. Learn from them!
But then again, I'm probably wasting my time expecting them to "learn". Like that's even possible in a country where everyone just wants to be like everyone else.
I haven't seen the physics paper yet. Still I would say I agree on the term of asking things which are useful for students future, concept oriented question paper..learning oriented question paper etc. I would like to make a point, setting up a syllabus or setting a question paper doesn't make the educational system better or best. A paper is set to check many things conceptual competency, decision making and remembering few facts and fig as well. For an example if the question is "what's speed of light?" It may look a minute memory based question but it has quite significant relevance to concepts as well.
ReplyDeleteHence its the individual approach which will make the existing system concept and learning oriented.
The paper WAS logical, and that, precisely, was the problem! It was logical, with respect to the text book, not the concepts! Things which were mentioned in tiny boxes and as subtexts in derivations, came as main concepts in the paper. Frankly, throughout the year, I HATED the text book! I studied only from the notes we were given at Excel and from youtube of tutorial videos from universities. Questions in the paper came from in between derivations; like intermediate steps, which I never knew about.
DeleteTo make it concept and learning oriented, it will take a lot more than the board already has...Students who KNEW will not be scoring this year, but students who mugged up almost every step, will.
H Hate it !!! All thz system is a bullshit!!.If they were going to make such a change they shuld have informed us we would have gon with commerce !!
ReplyDeleteThese are the reason if we fail to perfrm gud in phys..
A.the board ssc icse cbse coming together
B.increase in the portion
C.Evn the teachers sayng that we cant predict wat will be der in the paper..
D.Both the papers together in a single day..
E.one say gap between english and physica..which was nt sufficnt to revise everythng..
F.and after all thz a vry tough paper..
Wanna say that the state government is ruining our life....
U shuld change the system but with proper plaining...the mind behind thz is of a selffish one..
Evn we want India to progess..and we r the only one to take it up in the future..if u will carryon such acts...i m sad to say but there will b a number of suicides thz year..
Frst i use to think that suicide is a bullshit..cauz we always have a chance...
But guys there is never a second chance evn if we reappear and pass all...we will never be able to match our eyes with the world...
:'(
Ending it sayng that..
If the system want an upgrade frst save us...cauz if we die befre u then never gonna get the developed india !!:'(
And the reason fr our deaths will b the syatem and only the system..
That is very true! Not that I personally am going to commit suicide or anything, but I can totally see the ones who can't seem to see logic do so. It wasn't fair. At all.
DeleteDear Vaishbavi, It was like refreshing my school day memories going through your blog, the replies and your justifications.
ReplyDeleteI was just reliving my school days and my +2 exams.
But let me assure you if you remember what happened this day this year throughout your life you will become a much stronger and better person. You may not top the scores in Physics but will score better in life than the people who crammed the text books.
Wish you all the best for your future.
Thank you so much! :)
DeleteOne thing I DO know about this year, is that I fell in love with Physics! I HATED it in school, but that all changed. I will remember it, and maybe someday, laugh it it when I look back at it!
Again, that you! :)