99.99 Percent
It’s that time of the year again, the results of grade 12th are around the corner. An annual event that is awaited and celebrated in India with fanfare that is the kingly reserve of a select few. The whole ecosystem goes into a frenzy. First, we celebrate achievers, carrying them to the pinnacle of stardom, media carrying pictures, interviews, parents and close relatives giving sound bites, you name it. And before the dust settles, the moaning voices of the so-called educationists, questioning the examination system and the futility of astronomical grades, almost nearing perfection. Again, carried by the media with equal measure, capturing the imagination of society at large and a great topic of discussion at various levels and fora.
Let us step back and analyse this system. Most Indians believe that the means to upward social mobility, a term used to describe the aspirations of Indian middle class to break out of their existential angst, is education. Therefore, all parents want their children to exceed them and provide them opportunities that stretch their means. A scenario that most readers would be familiar with.
In this backdrop censusindia.gov.in shows us a very interesting demographic profile of India. 35.3 % of the population is in the 0–14 age group and 41% is below the age of 18. This translates to over half a Billion people under 18 years of age — largest in the world. The much hallowed ‘demographic dividend’ and the resultant march to the 5 Trillion Dollar economy. It also raises the specter of ever increasing competition for very limited resources. FOMO is very very real.
Thus we have over half a Billion children, aspiring to break away and do better than their parents. Over half a Billion parents are willing to spend what it takes to give them the best education they can afford. After all, good education is the bedrock for their leap. A situation tailor made for market vultures to descend and feed on resultant profits. So the cycle starts. And it starts very very early, as early as 2–3 years of age. We have a large number of pre-schools preparing kids to draw better, talk better, solve better etc. — so that they get into ‘ELITE schools’. Once in ‘ELITE schools’, they are taught the skill of writing exams and getting perfect marks. Some schools even have weekly tests — after all practise makes perfect. To get extra help and outdo their peers the students are then sent to fancy tuitions. In senior classes this becomes even more pronounced and we have large ‘Brands’ managing this space. Now the training imparted by the ‘ELITE schools’ is also not enough to score perfect scores.
Just to appreciate the enormity of this, let us view the numbers. As per ibef.org the education market in India is expected to cross 200 BILLION USD soon. The ed-tech market is expected to cross 10 BILLION USD. The ed-startups (new kids on the block) have raised investments of around 2.22 BILLION USD in 2020 alone, almost a four fold increase Year-on-Year. Very lucrative and a wonderful business opportunity? However, compared to the USA these numbers are still nascent. As per ibisworld.com the size of education industry in the US is 1.5 TRILLION USD. With international students contributing close to 50 BILLION USD (nafsa.rg). And majority of this being from China and India. According to data collated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), a sum total of 10.9 lakh students went abroad for higher studies in 2019. It should also be noted that this was a 45% increase over the 2018 figure.
Considering such immense earning potential one can understand the spurt in the education sector. It has become a full blown INDUSTRY. Pick up newspapers, browse any TV channel and you are accosted with advertisements enticing you to some brand of tuitions, ed-tech or some University. The industry outlets, as one should call them, are sprouting everywhere. Anyone and everyone with connections and money is in education — politicians, industrialists, real estate agents etc. etc. Even a famous ‘ladoo’ maker of Punjab decided to join this bandwagon and now successfully runs a large University. Talk about education being noble.
All this puts added pressure on students to get perfect scores and get admitted in the very few institutes of excellence. The cut offs of 99% plus and the manner in which they are plastered/ advertised yearly, only adds to the anxiety and stress. Moreover, in India marks scored in CBSE class 12th is the only criteria of judgment. A student scoring a percentage as high as 96% is also brought to tears for his future. Therefore, the 14 years of school grind gets harder, the tuition demands increase further and the INDUSTRY flourishes even more. A wonderful self-serving multi-BILLION dollar monster. Who would need amendments?
No one cares about the journey, the explorations, childish inquisitiveness. Only thing that matters is the skill of writing exams and getting perfect scores. So I say damn this craze for 99 percent and let students evolve holistically, become good citizens and pick up Life skills. But wait, was this not what Rabindranath Tagore wanted from Shanti Nekatan. Yet the pervasive materialism has taken us far far away from it. How will this ever change? Well as the great Mahatma put it ‘Be the change you want to see’.
-Tanvi Chopra
