Tuesday, 1 April 2014

I Speak On ‘Cheating’

           It’s that time of the week again, exams. Ugh. I swear writing exams every single month is a headache in itself, and then forcing yourself to sit in those hot, stuffy rooms for 3 hours, gives a greater reason to complain. As I sat there on those rock hard seats, trying my best to concentrate, it started up again…the ‘pssts’ and ‘eh macha’ sprinkled throughout the excited whispers. I was done with my exam by then, and I’m sitting there listening to the boy behind me, discussing answers as candidly, as talking about the weather, with his next-door neighbor. As I sat there processing what was going on, I began formulating what I’m going to write about cheating in my next blog. So here it is…
            I understand if you don’t study, or don’t feel like it. Honestly, I don’t either, especially with the dry and repetitive structure of the Indian education system. It’ll bore anyone to tears! But that doesn’t mean you take the short way out. I touched upon this in my first blog, how I feel everyone here is ready to slide by, without actually doing the work. This is what I notice when it comes to exams at my college. It’s like students literally come for these exams just to chill for 3 hours, and giggle their way through the answer sheets. While, the rest of us (or should I say bare minimum of us) work our $&%^# off to elaborate on answers!
            The worst part is the teachers and the way they handle the situations. A light pat on the shoulders, accompanied with the slight drone of the student’s name is apparently enough to get them to stop, until they start up again in two minutes. This is the way a student gets reprimanded. My old schools, you try stuff like this, they catch you, you’re thrown out of the institution within seconds. CONSEQUENCES! Has no one ever heard of that in this place?! Rather than reprimanding students’ actions, the teachers overlook it, pretending to be focused on something else. Even worse, the female teachers will smile and shyly turn away, when male students give em that ‘hey, I’m just fooling around, miss’ look. Oh my god.
            So here’s what I say. The base of sleaze, bribery and corruption in our country, according to me, lies in the education system. If our students are not stopped now, you really think things are going to get better? No one’s asking you to become the saintly Mother Teresa, but for once, just be honest! Is it really that much to ask? In a country so rooted in tradition and culture, we have not instilled the basic morals and values within our young ones. We are the future, they say. What I say is you’re just a walking hypocrite if you blame the corrupt politicians for the fallbacks of our country, if you’re sitting there in class, rapidly copying away answers.
            The whispering boy behind me, who I know pretty well, wants to become an IAS officer. O___o This position is the pinnacle of prestige and repute in the civil services category in India. You are representing the nation, and its people, who will rely on you for the growth of the nation. There is nothing more honorable (so it’s considered) than getting selected as an IAS officer. And I’m sitting there thinking, this guy’s gonna be an IAS officer?

            Please, just for once, try just doing your best. Dishonesty is not the way to go. 
        
I decided to jot all this down on the first day of exams, hoping that after reading this, you may change your mind, and keep your eyes on your own paper, perhaps :P

No comments:

Post a Comment