By Aiborlang Nongsiej
Every year after the declaration of the MBOSE results, few students who top the list will introduce themselves in the media and claim that their aim is to compete for competitive exams. Sadly, as years have passed we have lost such students. The glory remains only for a few days since without anyone to guide them to fulfil their aims in life, they tend to lose their way. Our students are capable enough to compete with their counterparts in the mainland. Unfortunately, there is no one to follow up on them and hold their hands until they reach their goals.
Certainly, the state has few coaching centres for competitive exams, yet how many of those toppers are in these coaching centres? Who do we blame here? Is it the failure of the state or the society or the parents to guide and support such students? In fact, the recent UPSC results showed that yet again only one non-tribal young man qualified from the state of Meghalaya. So what happens to those civil services aspirants who top the Board exams year after year? Why have there been no tribals qualifying for the UPSC for the last several years – almost a decade in fact.
Certainly, it is difficult to crack the UPSC exams, however, we have so many successful candidates every year from across the country so why not at least about 3-4 from Meghalaya? What is the educational gap that blocks the prospects of our students and prevents them from qualifying for the UPSC and other competitive exams? I personally believe that it is a collective responsibility that we follow up on such students and guide them to reach their aim especially those for aspiring to write their competitive exams. Primarily parents and the teachers are the main guides for the toppers who aspire for such exams. For instance, in other states, the parents themselves are able to identify the capability of their own child and start giving him/her the right kind of coaching so they can sit for competitive exams. They not only guide their children but also buy books, provide newspapers and other means for the preparation.
While conversing with a few intellectuals, I learnt that one of the main causes for the failure of our students to crack the civil services exams is the MBOSE syllabus. According to these intellectuals, the first rank holder from the MBOSE syllabus may find it difficult to compete with students from other central boards like CBSE or ICSE. In my personal experience as a teacher, the subject matter in the MBOSE syllabus is not orderly arranged according to the student’s level of understanding while in the CBSE or other central boards of education the subject matter is orderly arranged according to the students’ ability to grasp. For instance, the lesson in the history book progresses from one level to the next higher level. This way the students are able to catch up the whole lesson part by part according to their standard. In other words, the lesson flows on from one level to the other in a progressive manner.
In the last few years, many books of the MBOSE syllabus are replete with errors. It is unfortunate that the MBOSE just accepts any publisher without proper proof-reading and careful reflection by the Text Book Committee to see if the books are appropriate for the students. It is this which is the greatest barrier for our children to come out successful in competitive exams.
All those individuals who want to prepare themselves for various competitive exams in the country buy books of different standards of the CBSE or other central boards. No one would buy the MBOSE book! Why? It is unfortunate that the MBOSE syllabus has been very slow to update and keep up with the times. The teachers have been teaching and students learning the same old thing for years together. One of the intellectuals said that, even if the Board wants to change the syllabus, the first to oppose this move are the teachers. If this is true then, it is very unfortunate. Both the teachers and the students need to update themselves and keep abreast of what is happening in the country and the world and also keep in touch with the CBSE/ICSE syllabus.
We are living in the digital world. The age of the chalk and blackboard are gone. High ranking offices in the state are often taken up by individuals from other states and not by the locals, Why? Perhaps we are not able to prepare our own children for the tough competition from the beginning. How many local IAS and IPS officers do we have in the State? If not nominated by the Government, then we have only a handful of such officers. The only way to get back the State in the hands of the local officers is by competitive exams. We cannot blame the other non-locals for coming and occupying the vacancies in the state if we ourselves are incapable of passing the civil services exams.
Therefore, it is a big challenge and it requires hard work and dedication to achieve this level of education. Perhaps, updating the syllabus might be one of the ways to empower our youth with the right skills to compete in a level playing field. Perhaps that would end the culture of the educated unemployed/unemployable youth. The Education Department can play a vital role in preparing the children for various competitive exams. If the state fails to produce successful candidates for UPSC, then it is the education system that is at fault.
The above opinions are the result of conversation with a few intellectuals of the state. However, this writer has reduced it into writing out of concern for the upcoming generation. Since those aspiring for competitive exams are often using the CBSE books and not the MBOSE books, it is incumbent on MBOSE to update the syllabus and not to accept any publisher for any benefit. The Board must work for the benefit of the students and not vice versa. The brief of the MBOSE is to serve the interests of students. If it cannot do even that then it is time to dismantle it and create a new one with people having the right credentials and with no vested interests.