By: Klinsa Kurien (Bureau Chief-ICN KERALA)
Marks play a crucial role in the lives of students at every level be it in the primary, elementary, advanced, intermediate or collegiate levels and research. It determines the level of competency in a student and further on in job scenarios ratings are accorded for performance driven roles.
It polishes and fine tunes their existing skill sets and gives sufficient improvement for further growth prospects. A good student always aims for higher and better marks no matter what the evaluation patterns are.
It reminds me of a time when we were graduate students in the beginning of the millennium, where internal exams were graded very strictly and even the average students failed to score the minimum passing marks.
The bar was raised with an intention to work even harder though the external marks were a mere cakewalk. This special concern our teachers had for us was marvelous, learning to handle situations in the best way possible. They made the internal exam to be purposely tough so that we could meet this challenge and come out in flying colours. But the students of today take it as a matter of personal vengeance when the internal exams are evaluated strictly.
A recent incident of the Principal of a college in Kerala Mrs Lakshmi Nair had to resign following complaints by students scoring less marks. When teachers think of enhancing their wards’ life and survival skills why do students only improve their marks without imbibing the necessary skills?
The Guru-Shishya relationship should be taken in a serious vein as the honour for one another is directly linked to the well-being of the latter in the institution called ‘life’.
