By Gabriel B Nongsiej
I was a student of MBOSE. I passed Class 10 in 2006 and Class 12 in 2008. I would like to congratulate the judiciary on removing that hideous 10% law that segregated the students of MBOSE for so long. This law was probably aimed at trying to bridge the gap between the students of our state and those of other states and/or Boards. Sadly, few realise how degrading such a law is, especially to students who go out to study. Few realise that this rule applied to Meghalaya when it was not ready to go up against the rest of the country. Are we so far behind now that we need the hard work of others to be discredited by 10% in order to compete with them? I am ashamed of it and I would be ashamed to see such yellow-bellied behaviour from anyone.
Another serious allegation made by the anonymous students is that “Even though the syllabus is the same as MBOSE, but they have better books. MBOSE books are not as good as the NCERT textbooks”. This is absurd and totally baseless. Students studying under MBOSE are using the same syllabus for all major subjects. Even the books prescribed were the same. I myself along with over 1.5 lakh students who appeared with me for the Class 12 exams of 2008 and more than 1 lakh students who appeared for the Class 10 exams in the same year all used NCERT books. But it was three years ago, I believe, that people started complaining about the lack and shortage of books. That was when MBOSE decided to print its own books. How can this be an excuse for low marks? My dear students, not only are you completely oblivious of history, you are also trying to create fiction to cover up for something else.
The next allegation is that “Moreover these other students have more time to prepare. MBOSE on the other hand gives lesser gaps between subjects”. I am extremely sorry to hear something like this but I’m afraid that such an attitude is very prominent among the students of our State. This is the most common excuse given by students to explain why they cannot get the requisite marks. However, to this, some counter questions come to mind: What in the world were you doing the rest of the year? If you understood that MBOSE doesn’t give a lot of gaps, then why did you not prepare better? If you say “Every mark is very crucial as it decides their future”, then work hard for those marks and don’t just expect someone to just hand them over to you. I personally prefer an examination schedule with few gaps in between papers. This helps to test the students better and actually shows the mettle of the students. Examination schedules with more than 2 days of gap between two papers stop testing the student’s knowledge and start testing his memory. The more a student can “mug up”, the better marks he gets. Hopefully, the plight of education has not reached that level of absurdity.
As regards the pattern of the question paper, the anonymous students were grossly mistaken in his observations, although the issue raised was correct. Question papers are never set to “help students to pass”. All question papers are set to test the knowledge of the student in that area of study. CBSE question papers are admittedly easier, compared to MBOSE question papers. But I would not recommend a change from the current trend. It is my personal experience that the hard work I put into my studies under MBOSE have helped me a lot now as I pursue my graduation. I commend the MBOSE for the rigorous and thorough question papers that it used to set, ensuring that the students study every part of the syllabus and not just “Guide Books” and “Question Banks”. In fact, I suggest the MBOSE to increase the difficulty of the papers and set them to be at par with international testing standards, particular the SAT and GRE of the US. The English paper particularly, is in need of a serious renovation to match the standards set up by the TOEFL papers.
Also the remarks of the students that “MBOSE is the board of the State of Meghalaya. It should be given top priority” and “They were mediocre students in class X when they studied in Meghalaya but got really high marks in class XII when they studied outside the State. Maybe because the course is easier or there is not much to study in their syllabus or some other reason” are really very disturbing. Such remarks are discriminatory and damaging, not to mention very erroneous. Let me remind these poor souls that the top most scientists in the country in the fields of Aeronautics and Space Research happen to come from the same Board they dismiss so lightly. I have never heard of a student from Meghalaya willing to undergo that much education in any field. So perhaps it is better to prove your point by personal merit before preaching to the congregation.
After covering all these points, I would like to state the obvious here. These are the feelings and opinions of the students of MBOSE. In fact, these are the common sentiments of most of the students from Meghalaya. When it comes to studies, few of our students have the will and determination to go the distance. As a student myself, I can assure you of the laziness and disinterest that affects us all. And when the time comes to account for our low marks, we pass the blame to other things. Usually, the main culprits are the Board (or University as the case may be) or the teachers or the examiners or the question paper setters. True, in some cases, these allegations do turn up to be true. However, the constant use of such excuses leads one to the illusion that these students are “crying wolf”.
The truth of the matter is that students from our State are not inclined to academics. Most of them prefer more worldly fields, however absurd they may be. Even those who go outside for higher studies, myself included, are pulled into more secular fields. What we need is not an overhaul of the education system, but rather a revival of the scholarly spirit among our youth. We need efficient and capable role models for them in the field of academia, working with them personally and giving them the guidance that is so lacking in the State. We need teachers who are dedicated to inspiring students to learn and not just study to pass. Most of all, we need parents and students alike to stop giving excuses and work towards the higher marks they want. I have always believed in the equality of our students with those from outside the State. I also strongly believe that no one deserves anything that they have not worked hard for. Which is why, I do not condone or support the sentiments expressed in the aforementioned letter.
Perhaps, a better solution to this effect is the pattern followed by all other education boards of the country. A common entrance test (CET) can be held for all the students of the State, MBOSE, CBSE and other boards combined. This test can determine the calibre of the students we send outside for higher studies in Medical and Engineering fields. That would also be fair to all parties concerned and not just to students of one particular Board. A further suggestion would be to make rapid and drastic revision of the syllabus for English, Alternative English and Computer Applications which is not copied from the syllabus of the CBSE board.
I congratulate all those students who have made it through the years without a hint of complaint or dissatisfaction. (The author is a student of B.E. Computer Engineering University of Pune. He was a topper in the Class XI exams a couple of years ago)