After the central board canceled and/or postponed class 10th & 12th board exams of 2021, several state boards have also announced the decision for the safety of students. Currently, the nation is witnessing an alarming scenario with the 4th wave of COVID-19, cases are rising at a high rate. Keeping the situation in mind, many states and boards like Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya-Pradesh, Bihar, UP rushed into a similar decision. But will that create anxiety and distress among students who were prepared for the exams? Do we have any other alternative?
Social media platforms were flooded with reactions from across the country, some are in favor while some are asking for other alternatives. But board exams are marked as the de-facto career-defining step, so why should students suffer? Particularly bright students and students who are career conscious, who look at board exams as their stepping stone towards a successful career.
While it is quite a mature decision for the students, keeping in mind their safety and well-being, the other side of the story needs to focus too. Despite all these measures, do you think students won’t be disheartened by this decision? Some of the students have worked really hard to prepare for their exams, and it wouldn’t be so justified for them to just cancel the exams now, would it?
While a large number of students have started a trend of #cancelboardexams2021 on Twitter and other social media platforms, the other mass of students thinks about their future regarding their studies, qualifications, and career. Those students want to look out for their future as it will be unsure as to how they will be allotted with their marks and stream.
Today, not only children but their parents too are career-oriented want the best education, opportunities, want their child to crack the toughest competition, and plan their future ahead. Cancellation or postponing of boards will eventually affect their mark sheets and devoid them with any parameters to get admission into the best colleges and universities, eventually giving them trouble in future career opportunities. Even exams like JEE/NEET are getting postponed creating more confusion. This also shows the futility of basing only board/exam marks for determining the future of the students.
Students who understand the current situation and very well know the importance of their study, are already thinking of other possible options. They are continuing their education by taking admission to the next class or college. However, the real world demands practical skills, innovative ideas rather than the traditional academic syllabus, and parents should start thinking about the overall personality development of their kids.
They should make sure that their child is supplied with enough knowledge to improvise their skills and to identify their strengths through self-evaluation. Every student has different skills, personality, aptitude & interests making them unique. Marks and board exams are not the ends of their career – thinking beyond boards/exams is the need of the hour to prepare for the long term. To stand out in today’s era, to be different and noticeable in a good way, a person has to have unique skills plus they should identify their interest areas.
Feel free to get unbiased career counseling which is based on psychometrics and not marks based at CareerNaksha (www.careernaksha.com)
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