Maths made easy?

If you are preparing for your class ten examinations and are keenly competitive, yet a bit of a straggler in mathematics, here8217;s a puzzle for you. You could, as has been the way so far, put in extra hours to internalise the bracing mysteries of trigonometry to stop maths from pulling down your average too much. Or, if the Central Board of Secondary Examinations carries through its absurd proposals, you could opt to fail the maths test twice, so as to gain the option to drop the subject altogether and take another one of your choice, one which in all likelihood would pull up that dismal average. Welcome to the joyous decision making being thrust upon 15-year-olds by the CBSE in the new year.

In its inscrutable wisdom to make mathematics less stressful for schoolchildren the CBSE has unleashed a slew of decisions. Students will get not three but five compartment chances 8212; that is, attempts to overturn a fail grade. But after two failed attempts, they will in any case have the option of abandoning mathematics altogether. But fear not, those of you given to fretting about India losing its competitive advantage in the knowledge sector. There will still be intense competition for entrance into the IITs as well as institutions offering basic diplomas in computer science. There, it remains a supply-side problem. There are just not enough higher education seats to meet aspirations.

But think, how many aspirations could such CBSE copouts 8212; today for math, possibly for language skills tomorrow and history beware politicians the day after 8212; stop from taking shape? Children will be children, and many will be enticed to take the laziest way out. Asking them to take decisions that ease pressure on themselves relative to their peers is to foment a most inegalitarian society. And by the way, in case a teenager can figure out the optimum benefit of that choice above, she needs to stay with maths. Game theory could be her future.