Cancellation of Exams but Not Education

Finally, one of the board makes the wishes of many students.,. in fact many generations’ prayers come true – Cancellations of exams!! A dream come true!! This year, rather since last year everything is undergoing a sea change and under the umbrella of ‘new normal’ we are accepting and adapting every change …rapidly.

The ‘board exams’ have suddenly turned into ‘bored of exams’ due to the constant of changes in date and uncertainty. Almost every student [irrespective of their level of preparation] wanted to exams to get over as soon as possible. They were looking forward to end the confusion of – to study or not to study. The verdict, as we know was given by one of the boards, marking the beginning of change. Cancellation of board exams was something none of us could ever dream of, became a reality. Immediately, the books found a place where they were never to be found again, a sense of freedom in the minds of the students, parents now worried about how the next admission procedure will happen, wondering about the extended holidays with no classes or lectures and are wondering how to keep their children occupied in a gadget free environment, especially due to the current lockdown.

Even if smaller in number, many students who were well prepared for the exam and had invested a disciplined life and given up on their fun times to achieve their dreams certainly find it unfair and feel disappointed with this decision. It was their stage to show their academic performance; which now seems to be abruptly taken away. They might even feel upset that they prepared for nothing. Don’t think that your efforts have been wasted, but think of it as you are already prepared.

On the other hand, majority of the students are unable to deal with the sudden happiness that cancellation of exams brought with it. Suddenly, they are relaxed and feel less stressed and burdened and the fear of performance in the exam is off their chest. But, do remember, that this is just one exam cancelled and does not mean that the concepts that you are unaware of will never be useful. So, don’t completely ignore the impact of the cancelled exams.

We are always taught to excel in exams, but never to view exams as a step that takes us to the next level. Fear, ridicule, judgement, failure, success, pressure, tension – all these terms became synonyms with exams. Unfortunately, we were never encouraged to look at exams as a means to prove our knowledge, our grasp of concepts and our mastery over the subjects we learned for almost a year or may be more. As it may seem fair or unfair, but one should remember that any exam is just a means to know how much the student has understood the concepts and is ready to take up the next level of studies.

Hence, students should critically and objectively figure out for themselves their preparedness to pursue the next level of courses which will lay the foundation of their careers. Those who were overjoyed due to the lack of preparation bear in mind there will be exams in future and what you learnt in the past year will also have an impact in the years to come. So, it would be wrong to celebrate early. Certainly you may enjoy the new found joy of not undergoing the exams, but do not let it overrule the essence of education. After some time, get back to your books, start preparing for the next career move.

Keep your focus on, don’t let your guards down and keep your learning track active. A short break is acceptable, but get back to your learning path as soon as possible. Infact, you’ve got more time think better and harder about your career. Seek professional advice, explore more career options, know yourself a little more and then plan your next move. Bear in mind, only exams got cancelled, but not education and learning!!