Priyadarshan's column: Why are there so many "examinations" in our education system?

First the NEET exam was canceled, then the CBSE results and the problems of re-evaluation made the students cry. The Supreme Court has strongly reprimanded the NTA in the case of NEET. But is anyone paying attention to the fundamental flaws in our entire education system? There are at least three trends that plague the education system. First of all, we have made examinations synonymous with education. Education is just about taking exams. Whereas many corruption in education begins with exams – many disparities too. The difference between good and bad schools, tuition, coaching, paper leaks, trying to increase the numbers — all of this wouldn't happen if there were no exams. But the question is, if there is no examination, then what should be the method of evaluation of education? Why should children study and teachers teach? Actually, this question shows how much we have limited the purpose of education – it has become a means of getting numbers. While education should be an autonomous thing in itself – it should sow the seeds of information, empathy and concern in children or students – it can also lead them to knowledge and expertise. The teacher can take responsibility to ensure that the children have completed the class and they can study for the next class. In such a situation, no one will come first or fail. At present, the teacher plays the role of an agent, who transmits the information of a pre-decided textbook to the children in such a way that they can convert them into numbers. But our complete dependence on exams is so high that we are not even ready to think in this direction. The second crisis of education is its attempt at over-centralisation. Until recently, the boards of different states were the main responsibility for the education of their children, but gradually they have become almost irrelevant and are only being used by government schools for resourceless, marginalized children. Whereas from bottom to top, the misleading concept of 'One Nation, One Education' has spread in such a way that it seems that it will bring equality in education. Earlier too, children used to enroll in colleges, but now they have to go through exams like CUET and for this too, a business called coaching has started. In the past, people used to study medicine and prove to be the best doctors without any competition, but the attempt at excessive centralization has made this entire admission process very suspicious. The third crisis is the incomplete technolisation of education and examinations. It was during Covid that we found out how big the 'digital divide' has created in online classes. Now children are facing the havoc of OSM i.e. on-screen marking system in CBSE exams. Was the pre-existing evaluation process flawed? Are our teachers not enough to trust them to be properly evaluated? That's the real thing. We have made the teacher, who is the most essential link of education, almost invisible and redundant. Like gig workers, education friends are being managed. At a time when the school system in India was not so perfect, it was these teachers or gurus who produced many promising generations – our doctors, engineers, writers, artists, scientists. But now that we have made a lot of arrangements, we have sidelined the teacher. If we continue to ignore the basic questions, then neither the scams in the name of education will end, nor will our education system become a means of creating better human beings or professionals. But who would think in this direction? (These are the author's own views)