Fail better

Theres no question that our school education is getting a child-friendly makeover. The first move in that direction is CBSEs decision to scrap the marking system that fails children,and move to a grading system,A to E,that makes note of outstanding performance as well as drawing attention to areas that need committed improvement. A grading system can be an effective goad to performance,while blunting the ferocious competition over a mark or two. The heartbreak and self-loathing induced by our current scoring process is definitely not something children should be put through,at such a vulnerable and formative stage in their lives. F for failed is a harsh verdict it sets a child apart from her peers,and sets up a destructive,self-doubting relationship between the learner and the material to be mastered. Flipping that frame around and presenting a difficult subject as a challenge,a terrain that can be licked with greater effort,is a patently better and more motivating approach.

But then again,this switch in systems must ensure that we dont altogether abandon necessary spurs to achievement. After all,the punishing rigour of our primary schools having to learn more at an early age,a stress on memorisation and strict grounding in the basics of math and science are what some other countries envy and emulate today. That brutal battery of tests and tuitions,the childhood grind,are also part of what has made India an ascendant force.

But the recent moves in school reform might well have struck the right balance. Removing the fail category is an attempt to undo the stress and wanton cruelty of school life,while ensuring full pursuit of academic achievement.