Explained: Why CBSE’s decision to discontinue use of term ‘fail’ matters

What is the change in CBSE’s policy?

Educational institutes, boards, and universities have been using the word ‘Fail’ since long for a student not managing to achieve required marks or score mandatory to clear an exam or a test. With CBSE deciding to replace the word ‘Fail’ with ‘Essential Repeat’, students marked as such in their final marksheets will still have to repeat a year, but the board believes that using a positive phrase instead would not leave a lasting negative impact on the student’s psychology of being categorised as a failure. “Fail as a terms sounds permanent, signifying you can’t succeed again. It is demeaning,” said a teacher.

How does the word ‘fail’ prove to be a psychological and emotional burden on students?

Experts say that ‘fail’ or ‘failure’ conveyed a sense of “unworthiness” and impacted a student’s psychology in a negative way. Paramjit Kaur, principal, BCM Arya Model Senior Secondary School, Ludhiana, while appreciating CBSE’s move, said, “When you use the word failure or fail, you are putting a child’s entire effort down the drain. It doesn’t matter if a child failed to clear one or all subjects, no child is a failure in life. When he or she reads ‘fail’ or ‘F’ on the marksheet, the impact on the mind is everlasting. They feel that they cannot try and succeed again. ‘Fail’ was never a child-friendly word and always gave a feeling of unworthiness. When we counsel students, we come to know what burden this word creates on their minds when someone calls them a failure. Failing in a board exam doesn’t mean failing in life but when you write it on a piece of paper and give it to them, it stays with them for life. It hurts them so badly that some students even fail to come out of it for life. Above all, this step might also help reduce student suicides and pressure from their parents’ side.”

Can using ‘Essentially Repeat’ help students in clearing exams after an unsuccessful attempt?

Shaminder Kaur Dhillon, counselling psychologist, Civil Hospital, Kapurthala, says that ‘Fail’ was a very negative word, which acted as a ‘demeaning tag for life’, whereas ‘Essential Repeat’ will motivate a student to try again and succeed.

“It all starts from primary education and goes up to higher level. Right from the school, the word ‘fail’ is imbibed in the minds of students if they are unsuccessful in anything be it exams or sports. ‘Essential Repeat’ signifies positivity. It will help students in making a fresh start and see it as a new experience in life, to try again and clear exams. ‘Fail’ was like a permanent tag which could destroy a child’s confidence,” she says.

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Will this policy shift work without changing parents’ outlook?

Counsellor Shaminder Kaur Dhillon believes that failure also gave birth to another common term ‘loser’. “The second word (loser) has shattered so many young minds that they struggle to regain their confidence. It gets worse when parents themselves use ‘fail’ and ‘loser’ comparing their children to others. I have been counselling a 10-year old boy who has stopped talking and expressing himself because he fears that he will fail in exams. He is unable to understand concepts in online classes and he fears that he will ‘fail’ in exams. So, the change has to come from home. Parents should stop using the word ‘fail’ while discussing their children with others,” she says, adding that use of term must stop right from primary school. “This becomes a reason for suicides later,” claims Dhillon.

Students check their CBSE 12th examination results in New Delhi on July 13, 2020. (Express Photo: Praveen Khanna)

How are other state boards/universities viewing this development?

J R Mehrok, controller examinations, Punjab School Education Board (PSEB), says that while PSEB still writes ‘fail’ on marksheets of Class X and XII students, CBSE’s move is a good one.

“It is a matter of policy decision and we cannot say if PSEB will follow the same or not. But it is a good move. With time, better words come and society moves ahead,” he said.

Harpreet Dua, senate & syndicate member, Panjab University, Chandigarh, said that all boards/universities need to stop using the word ‘fail’.

“The subject has never been debated upon, but it needs to. How can you declare someone a failure and attach a taboo for life? It hurts their mind and emotions both and we come across students who take years to come out of it. Though most universities including PU now use the word ‘Re-Appear’, but those who use ‘fail’ in their documents need to change it immediately, especially PSEB as it deals with students who come from rural backgrounds after battling great difficulties,” said Dua.

CBSE also did not release merit declaring ‘toppers’ at national-level this year. Is it a good move?

Not releasing a merit list this year is a good move and should continue, says Principal Paramjit Kaur. She argues: “Parents get anxious seeing marks of other children and ignore marks scored by their own child. It has become such a rat race that a student scoring 99.1% feels that the one who scored 99.2% is better. For that matter, a child scoring anything above 80% is very good, but everyone is entangled in this 90-100% scoring game. For that matter, CBSE does not calculate percentages and releases subject wise marks only, but it is only due to society pressure that percentages are calculated to declare ‘toppers’. If a national level sports player scores 90%, he/she is no less than a topper. But the current psychology of parents and everyone else, only sees 99% scorer as a ‘topper’. It is creating unnecessary pressure on students. This needs to stop.”