While those who have come out in flying colours in their school or senior secondary examinations have their own worries regarding courses in which they can get admission, those well below the cut-off marks in the most sought after institutions face a nightmare, not knowing what to do next and where to go. They deserve much more than sympathy and both students and parents need proper guidance on options available. Even the achievers find pressure when too many are at the top to get the prefered stream of education.
Those who miss the bus as it were are forced out of not only the respectable schools or colleges but feel the doors of higher learning are closed for ever for them. Every year the number of students writing the final examination keeps growing, with those successful not able to keep pace with the seats available at the higher level. And when they resort to unethical practices like use of money power, influence, etc., those with slightly better scores are eased out. Their plight is also pitiable and finding a legal remedy is not within the reach of the ones rejected.
Students with good scores but unable to enter medical and engineering colleges desperately try in arts and science colleges, but here they are shoved away to courses/subjects for which very little demand exists partly because the colleges know these students will flirt at the earliest opportunity and move to some other college or course. Apparently they do not want to be left with unfilled seats.
Just as students used to be pushed to study of history or philosophy if they seek commerce decades ago, we find that they are still persuaded to pursue literature or zoology. Thus there is no assessment of the student’s aptitude at any point. The winners are those who are in a position of strength, and all others are losers. Over the years successive governments have thought of ITIs, polytechnics, et al and apprenticeship schemes to encourage those not good at studies to pick up some trades or skills through vigorous on-the-job training. As technology is fast changing and the needs of the industry keep growing, some of these courses have lost their lure. Also, people have unshakeable faith in degrees obtained from reputed universities as passport to rewarding jobs here and abroad.
Thus the craze to put the child in the best school, whatever the fees, begins early. Also at the end of Class X and XII examinations, the students and parents get a rude jolt especially when the wards cannot enter the portals of university education. Another jolt comes when after years of education at ill-equipped colleges they find the grads are unemployable and unwanted. Then they are forced to pick up odd jobs to clear their education loans and other dues. Policy planners and those in power need to sincerely consider the plight of the forced out children, and come up with practical solutions so that youth do not lose faith in the system of education and society and become socially undesirable. Parents also need to curtail their dreams and expectations and stop aping others who appear to rocket to young age affluence and glorious career. They should not end up with unmanageable debts and suicidal tendencies.
