Hypocrisy

I am sure many of you read yesterday's newspaper. I was going through TOI dated May 8th.

Following are the news articles on the 2nd and 3rd page:

Salute to the NIE schools
A list of schools with their toppers name and score.

Now marks not enough, there is entrance test too.
An article on how 2nd PU (12th standard) marks are irrelevant.

Free education for merit students.
Pretty self explanatory.

Failure drives 9 kids to suicide
ACTUAL NEWS ARTICLE: In yet another grisly reminder that we need to reduce exam related stress,....

Compare the last news article with the rest. It exposes the hypocrisy prevalent in our news agencies as well as our education system.

After exam results are out, newspapers devote so many papers to advertising the toppers. Schools and colleges make huge concessions for toppers. Everyone sees this, and want it for their children too. Parents end up applying an enormous amount of pressure on their children, and burden them with their own unfulfilled expectations.

There is a reason that the word "average" exists. There are people who are average, above average and below average. Not everyone is the same. If your child is not performing well, its time you realize that you child may not be in the above-average category. He needs help; he needs interest to be shown in him; not be pressured by his parents to perform as well as the neighbors kids.

Schools and colleges should come up with special programs for kids who have not performed well, to encourage them to perform better. (This is apart from what they do for the toppers. The toppers have worked hard and deserve some reward.)

For parents and teachers who still think that marks and rank are everything in this world, I would like to point out that you are wrong. All the kid needs to be, is to be interested in what he does, and he will succeed, whether he is the topper or not.

From my own personal experience, I have learnt that marks are irrelevant as long as you have scored decently. Topping the charts is pretty much inconsequential.

My scorecard:
10th std: 94.6% (above avg) >> (got into 12th std in same school)
12th std: 84.25% (avg) >> (got into Manipal Institute of Technology for Computer Science Engineering. Computer Science is what I love and my main interest.)
Engg course: 7.52 CGPA (BELOW avg) >> (still bagged a job with the best company that came for recruitment.)

Stop pressurizing the students to be toppers. Just see to it that they try their best, that's all.