WITH schools organising programmes for their respective meritorious students, the talk continues to be about the high premium our society puts on success only of a particular level. That actually is quite saddening, in the sense that young people who do not get enough marks to be called meritorious -- above 90 % -- are made to feel and look like fools.The insistence of everybody in the society that kids at least in the 10th and 12th standards must get 90% and above marks in all examination, is actually putting a lot of pressure on students whose scholastic performance is not of a high calibre.

 

At least for now, the larger s o c i e t y has nothing to offer as a solution. Kids that get lesser marks are considered children of lesser gods, so to say! Sensing trouble on that front, some people who understand child-psychology are beginning to talk about below-90%- performers as people with potential to do well in different fields. They insist that low-grade performers also have a right to have good future and that they must find different callings for themselves so that they do not carry a sense of being inferior. In past some years, the larger society is also sensing a change in the trend when engineering seats in most states remain vacant in good numbers.

 

That points to the fact that kids are beginning to look for career lines that are different from engineering or medical, where need for high percentage of marks is not dominant. This is certainly a good change coming in the larger Indian society in recent years. Despite this, the tendency to look down upon average performers in academics persists. This is patently wrong, in the sense those with low marks also are known to perform well in larger life. The idea here is not to disrespect high performers in academics. They deserve respect and accolade, all right. Yet, the purpose here is to suggest that those students with less than 90% marks in major examinations also have good future if they look for right opportunities in different and diverse fields. To d a y, m o d e r n life offers countless c a r e e r opportunities to all youngsters, no matter their educational performance.

 

That is the reason why we see high-achieving people in different fields with moderate academic performance to write home about. A few decades ago, such opportunities were never available, at least in India.Youngsters with moderate to low academic record were left to the mercy of their fates. Today, the situation has changed tremendously and different fields are available for youngsters to show their capabilities and make a mark for themselves. In today’s world, there is greater hope for young generation than in the past. The need is to exploit this situation smartly. This is the actual task before schools -- to get out of the 90%-mould and offer their students a vaster range of careers to choose from.