Should Exams be Abolished?
The word ‘examination is sufficient to send shivers down the spine of most students, Most students dread examination and would do anything to escape it.
The detractors feel that the examination system in India is obsolete and outdated. It tests only the ability of the students to ‘mug’ up and not assimilate whatever he has learnt. This, the student is expected to reproduce during exams. There is little emphasis on application of the knowledge that the student is exposed to.
For most students, exams produce unbearable stress. The fear of failure goads them on to resort to unfair means and unscrupulous ways to do well. Students cheat intimidate the invigilators or use other such means to do well. In doing all this, the entire purpose of the examination is nullified. Failure in the examination can sometimes result in drastic measures like suicide by the student who fails in the exam as well as fails to meet the expectations of teachers and parents.
Besides, a three-hour examination sets very narrow parameters to test the real worth of a student. The examinee may not perform well, owing to ill-health or some other factor, but on the result of his examination, depends his destiny. Yet, a lot of emphasis is placed on the results of various exams.
Sometimes, examination results are tampered with or question paper leak out or can be ‘bought’ in connivance with the person in charge. Under all these circumstances, the credibility of examination stands to be questioned.
The supporters of the examination system feel that exams are indispensable. They help to test objectively the preparedness of a student. They nurture his ability to work systematically. They provide an incentive to strive for excellence. Perhaps, they are the only way one can gauge the ability of a student to assimilate whatever knowledge he is exposed to. Examinations prevent the students from becoming complacent and keeps them on their toes.
However, we cannot overlook the lacunae in the present-day system of examination. Its high time, some ingenuity is introduced to make the examination system more reliable-and foolproof.
