Cheating in Bihar Board Exam

Saw this picture of cheating in Bihar board secondary school exam on twitter on 19th march. When I first saw it I thought someone is cracking joke on Bangladeshi cricket fans watching IND Vs BAN world cup quarterfinal match. Had I not been from Bihar this picture would have seemed to me as unbelievable as the picture of some crowded trains covered completely with people or awfully long traffic jams. But this picture did not surprise me because I have seen this happening all around me since I was a kid, the only thing that has changed is the height of the building and use of rope.  This picture demonstrate not only the minuscule version of citizen's lawlessness attitude who are ready to subvert any institutional norms, which is rampant in Bihar but also it demonstrate the grim picture of administrative failure, shortsighted political discourse which has followed in the state for years.

With Sarv Siksha Abhiyan and other educational initiatives the social mindset has changed in positive direction which value education, literacy, including girl education. Giving free cycles to girl students to ease their commute, giving them free uniforms and money to buy books have actually increased the number of girl student enrollment in primary and secondary schools. And the most encouraging change is the superiority a higher degree holder enjoys in society. 10th pass will have more affluence than a 8th pass, a degree holder will garner more respect than just 12th pass and so on. Even in marriage the same preference is followed. Now the question is how come such a positive change in society is leading us to such an image which is being circulated and tarnishing the image of already infamous state.

As the pressure to attain higher and higher degree mounted, people rode their free bicycle, wearing their free uniform with free books in their bags started going school only to be greeted with free mid day meal.

The condition of teachers in government schools or private schools which are affiliated with state board is absolute pathetic. I have not met any parent serious about their children schooling sending them to state board affiliated schools if they can afford English medium CBSE school.  and even if they do send them to such schools they also make them take multiple additional coaching. Now those who cannot afford even that what choice do they have? Society cares for result not for the way you took to get it.

People are suggesting open book exam to curb this cheating practice. I don't understand why? People are not cheating because they can't remember stuff, they are cheating because they have not been taught. What difference does it make if you will give them book in the exam, why not just scrap the exam all together if you want to stop the cheating in exam. Open book exam is the best methodology when you want to test the analytic skill of examinee and not just rote learning. But analytic skill will develop if  there is someone in school to explain the book properly.

One of the reason for the poor state of Bihar is this also, ignorant people. Even though literacy rate is going up but people are lacking adequate substantive knowledge and still have feudal mindset. Girls are passing exams but are unaware about their rights and are subjected to all patriarchal norms.

So dear chief minister stop appealing to parents to stop this nonsense and please rise above the vote bank politics and take some tough decision on the state of schools and college in Bihar and teachers in them.

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Attacks On Church and Ghar Wapsi

In past 6-8 months we have been hearing lots of news, sometime of attacks on church, christian missionaries, noble christian personalities, sometime of religious re-conversion popularly known as 'ghar wapsi'.  Motive seems to be the one, to assert majority power to correct the past injustice that had been done. For long we have been taken for ride now we are at the driver's seat and will take others to the destination of our suit and route we prefer. Nothing seems to be the flaw in the logic. But is the way in which it is being carried out is justifiable. No, certainly not in a pluralistic society like India which is proud to declare herself a secular state.

Now lets dig deep into these issues. The program where other religion followers were converted into Hinduism is named 'ghar wapsi' which means to bring home someone who went away. Is it not just and right thing to bring someone back home? Yes absolutely it is. Then why so much hue and cry? is it media creation?, or is it the manner and message with which it is being done?

To some extent it is a media hype and it's very nature to sensationalize and cash in on people's paranoia. but to put all the blame on media will not mere be injustice to the media but also trivialize this important issue. Why is there need for re-conversion? because  they converted in the first place. why did they convert? Some converted because they liked the religion they were adopting or at least were feeling safe in doing so, or they disliked their 'original' religion.

History suggests and there is no denying that since medieval time people are either coerced to convert or incentivized to convert or made feel inferior in their 'original' religion. But there is enough evidence of people converting because they just did not like the ills of their original religion, they did not like the methodology, they felt sidelined, neglected, ostracized  from their own 'ghar'. So they went away.

Now 'Ghar Wapsi' can be done in two way either clean up your own practices, make the people who are still with you, in your 'ghar' feel welcome and included and make it enviable. or start burning and vandalizing others 'ghar' to force them to come in your 'ghar'. The unfortunate thing is going the latter's way is more convenient and easy and it's no surprise that it is being pursued. 

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Do Result Justify Means?

Should we accept that everything we did was great, if the outcome was a resounding success? Should we not learn from our successes too, as we are told to learn from our failures?

There is always a luck (uncertainty) factor in every success and once may be your compromises got overcompensated by luck factor, but you cannot always bank upon that. for example you didn't prepare one chapter but still you topped the exam because no question came from that chapter, that doesn't mean you should have not read all chapters and you can always top, leaving something behind.
No success is absolute, life is a race and you will always have bigger competition to participate in and always bigger goals to achieve.

I think that the biggest mistake that one can make is to assume that everything they did to succeed was good, or even worse if they believe that the compromises they made to succeed are justified after success.

So No, result do not always justify all means taken to achieve this.

When they say don't let the victory get to your head, I guess this is what they mean.

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