The Race

Do my blog posts give the impression that my life is one hectic race?

Compared to the life of sixteen and seventeen year-olds, it’s a walk on a travelator.

My younger kid has now reached the stage where she had to make life decisions. Which subject to choose? What does she want to become? Which ‘competitive exams’ is she going to prepare for?

My kid is very competitive; in sports. She has had meltdowns before tournament finals (now she is more mature, she just glowers at her opponent till the other person loses nerves). She feels like she will let her whole class down if she doesn’t win all the class events for them. She even aims at winning long-distance runs (geez, you aim at completing them, not winning, the other sibling is shocked). But when it comes to ‘competitive exams’ she blanks out.
And I don’t blame her.

I found the whole scene so sad when the elder one appeared for her entrance exams. This was the scene in front of one of the 'examination centres'. 

I couldn't click one of the the multiple training institutes who had set pop-up stores across the pavement and the guys passing around brochures and pamphlets with photos of alumni-top-scorers in entrance exams.

And those for entrance exams for design institutes. Just around 50,000 students competing for about 60 seats in the ‘General’ category. I was glad it was not Engineering with around 10, 00, 000 students in a blood bath for 7000 seats. I did not even look into the NEET numbers.

Why do things have to be this way?

Because we have the world’s fastest growing population!
And also, because the percentage of children fighting to go to good colleges is spiraling every day.

Children want to go to IIT because they are taught that’s the key to a golden future. How many of them want to get into IITs to become Engineers? How many of them even remain Engineers as professionals?

But then, I am told that they get the option of becoming Investment Bankers or even international journalists, because they went to IIT to become Engineers.
Where does this leave the ones who actually wanted to become Engineers? Oh, they should have worked harder then (attended 2 more coaching classes in parallel) or started earlier (moved to Kota in 4th standard).

I can fully understand why the kid would rather run in a marathon.

Comments

  1. The whole purpose of education is made out to be money and pride. How about what you like and the purpose you want to fulfill? This rat race should stop.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It will take a long time for the system to change. We need to keep questioning it though. And give our children the freedom to choose....to the extent possible.

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