Good Copy:

March 29/2011: Examination- the concept spreads ‘fear’. It sends shiver in the spine of the learned. It is said that even the angels weep before the examination. Guru Dronacharjay used to examine his disciples to gauge their knowledge. It is a process through which one’s knowledge and discipline is determined. Hence, everyone burns mid-night oil and tries hard to do his best in the examination. Nowadays pupils are running behind a greater success with lesser hardship. That’s because our education system is the windfall of the British. We carry their legacy as our prized possession. Entire blame can’t be sifted over to the children. Kids are being supported by the parents and teachers. Parents do not hesitate to encourage their children to obtain more marks, through improper ways, in examinations. Teachers themselves who teach ‘morals’ to the school children even do not feel shame to help their students to get through the examination in the immoral way- malpractice. This is to say that huge numbers of ‘copy’ have been recovered from the examination centers across the state this year. Students are engaged in malpractice to sail through the examinations easily. Helping the students in malpractice, teachers are getting suspension letters. The Metric Board and the +2 Council authorities are flying high after taking action against the teachers found responsible for the malpractice in the examination. But, nobody pays attention on the ground reality. None even bothers to think seriously on the real issue. 4.87 lakh students appear in the Orissa Metric Board examination this year and 2.50 lakh students in Council examinations. But, how many of them would get jobs? Job opportunities are not plenty, with lakhs of educated youths struggling to get jobs. As such, does it a matter to them if they obtain good marks, whether by reading hard or by copying. Practically, it does not matter.

Government is more interested in building the infrastructure only. A sea change in construction of roads, railway, airports, electrification, mobile network and other means of transportation and communication and modernization, are all about what the Government mean infrastructure. But, the Government ignores the education; that is the sole essential factor behind all these social developments that are summed in one word- infrastructure. There may not be many takers of this view that globalization has ushered a great era of development in the field of education in our country, more specifically, in the field of technical education. Our state Orissa too is being considered as one of education hubs in the country. Centres of higher and technical learning like Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER) have opened. But we should not forget that the common man do not reap benefits with the improvement in higher learning or technical education. It is like building multi storied buildings without a solid foundation. If priority would be given to higher education ignoring the primary education- the foundation, collapse of education system is inevitable.

Kids are being over-pressured with loads of books and notes. They are asked to by-head the more and more chapters. More the by-heads more intelligent the kid, it is assumed. If any kid fails in this non-sense exercise, then he becomes useless. We have been witnessing this sorry state of affairs in our education system due to lack of proper maintenance of suitable infrastructure. To be frank, there is a huge shortage of primary teachers in the state. Teachers, instead of devoting their time and spreading knowledge, prefer to be busy in purchasing rice, dal for the much talked mid-day meal and gossiping. ‘Political gossip’ happens to be the favourite pastime of teachers. Besides, school students are not getting required books prior to the academic session. Consequently, the lessons remain untaught till the year end. Moreover, school buildings are filled by security personals in the Maoist infested areas of the state that is also becoming a hurdle in the way of learning. In such a situation, students are preferring ‘malpractice’ in the fear of failure in the examination.

Those who speak about the ethics and morals to the society do condemn the malpractice. But, they don’t bother to think as why copy is being rampant in our state. They never think seriously to find out the ways to prevent it. Roads for the village, rice for the poor (BPL) people and rations of public distribution system seems important for them.  But, outmost priority should be given to patch up the holes in our education system and to make it proper and suitable. Instead of emphasizing on education, siphoning of funds under NREGAS, block development and rural development through tender fixing process is turning out to become a profession nowadays. Intellectuals and parents do feel that mass education is solely the task of the government. It seems that learned citizens have nothing to do with primary education. It would be presumed that we are neglecting our duties towards the society.

Nation’s growth depends on her youth mass and highly taught people who are expected to contribute in a constructive way and disciplined manner. In such a backdrop, it would be foolish to ignore the primary education with much emphasize on higher education. Adolescents lacking a solid foundation in education would never succeed in technical fields like medicine and engineering. Everyone knows the reality. Yet politicians, bureaucrats, intellectuals and parents too don’t bother to raise their voice. Neither have they taken any step. Rural mass feel that a degree is most for the marriage. Similarly, if certificate is a most for getting any job anywhere, then copy is good, rather we must say ‘good copy’. On the other hand, when the government is failing to provide proper infrastructure for the development of education, there are reasons to permit ‘copy’ in examinations officially.