Education – boon or bane?

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This article has been submitted by Prashanth V for the CLATGyan Blog Post Writing Competition. If you think this article is a good read, ‘Like’ this article on Facebook (the button is at the bottom of this piece) or post a comment using the ‘comments’ section below.

CLAT is over! For a lot of people this is a relief but for me it is only the start of more problems to deal with. When I was preparing for CLAT, I knew what I was doing, I knew that I was heading and working towards something. Working day in and day out, without even thinking of having fun (especially the last month) and even when I think of taking a break or just randomly take a break and do something not relating to CLAT I feel guilty, I feel like I am wasting time, a 10 minute break means – missing to practise 10 legal questions, 2 sides of a newspaper, 20 easy math questions. Nothing could get my mind out of CLAT. But now all is over, and I don’t have even a slight sense of relief.

Ask me why? – well, now I need to wait for the results, and then if I make it to the university I want, it only means I need to work even harder to get to the top to make the most out of the university- exchange programmes, MOOT court, placements. And if I don’t make it to any of the universities then what’s next? First thing, I need to face people saying – “It is not the end of the world”, “You will have a better option”. I don’t care what others think about my life, because they have no slightest clue how I would be feeling. Keeping all the social torture apart, I have a more sensible problem prevailing – how is my future really going to be? I may get into some private college but is it really worth it? Is it really worth it? Dreams shattered! Depression haunts!

This is how a typical student feels. But there is no real appreciation for hard work or real talent in India’s education system. CLAT exam was the biggest proof for that. After more than 20000 people preparing for the syllabus given they get to face a paper which was out of the pattern and still there’s nothing which can be done about it! They say PIL, they say protests but at the end they know they just have to face the results just the way they are. Nothing is going to make a difference. In midst of all this, is a student who cheated just because she had an influential father! This is just for CLAT but there are so many more competitive exams conducted in India, I doubt how many of them actually filter the right students.

Money buys everything in India including education and health! And this can happen only in India. This is sad; there are thousands who obtain admission by paying loads of money especially in medical and engineering courses. So much can be done but no one cares because that is how it works. There are so many students who are much more deserving and passionate and just because they are not rich enough to pay the DONATION they can’t do what they want in a good college. Keeping that aside, what is really happening to the money? Why is it called donation? If really all the money went to the institution then why are the standards so low? In The Times world rankings there is only 1 Indian university which made it to the top 200 that is IIT Mumbai.  There is so much more than just the theory of the subject, the overall improvement of a college is not up to the mark in India. In most of the universities sports and co-curricular activities take a back seat, the standards of scientific labs are not that great. Indians are smart but the facilities provided will never get them to the position they deserve.

If we take UK for example, it is supposed to be one of the top countries for education. They don’t take DONATIONS, only deserving people get into respective courses. Most of the competitive courses like medicine have interviews. But, I can never ask India to do that because I know how much drama and corruption that is going to create. UK looks at much more than academics; they want proof of commitment, passion and hard work. Unfortunately, in India all these are tested in one final exam. The marks somehow tell you everything about the student and if it doesn’t then the money does! Influence is a negative word according to me in the field of education. Students born to famous parents will have more advantages. Who can we go and complain to? No one, because at the end no one is true! No one wants to set it straight and if he/she tries to do it they are opposed by 10000 other people who are probably being advantaged by what is happening. And even if the person crosses this hurdle the higher officials have more important things to deal with, well that is what they think, so they ultimately stop the person by either corrupting them or threatening them.

The literacy rates are not up to the mark, well if all Indians are rich we may probably have 100 percent in every state! I am not trying to say India’s education is just about money but at least 75 percent of the colleges are. We can’t do much, actually no one wants to. We can’t really blame anyone either because if the person is corrupted there is someone who is making him corrupt.

And now, after preparing for 12 months I get a paper which doesn’t stick to the pattern. I feel betrayed! This was one of the best exams I thought but there it goes this is just the start for CLAT. This year there was one student who had an influential father, next year it may increase.

All I can do is write about it, and probably get few people to read it and get their heads to nod to what I say. But after all I am an Indian too, criticism is in my blood!

17 COMMENTS

  1. I like the topic you chose. I wish to share my journey here. I got 86% in 12th and I, like many fresh pass-outs, was obsessed with getting into Delhi University. My score may not be upto the mark but I guess it is decent. I was disheartened after not getting admission in the worst of colleges for B Com Honours and Economics Honours. I had to settle for History (H).

    There came the call of a below average (academically) friend who couldn’t manage to score fairly above the passing marks for all the years that I had known him. Rs. 8 lakhs and SRCC, BCom (H)!!! On one hand, the 100% cut-off, and on the other, partiality on the basis of money. They say SRCC is one of the best colleges in the country. Bullshit!! They only let in the cream of the country and therefore, they aren’t left with much to do. The students are already on track.

    I have known two other sooper dooper rich individuals who are struggling to pass all the subjects in SRCC, and they spend all their day under the influence of alchol, cigarette or even drugs!!

    The cut-offs don’t apply only to admissions but also to getting a room in the college hostels. Why don’t they realise that a low scorer is already suffering by not having gotten the college, or course of his/her choice.

  2. No institution of my choice wants to take me. They assume that if my past record has not been upto their standards, then it can never be! They assume that I can’t change or work harder. Maybe, those institutions are themselves hollow that they can’t take the responsibility of changing a student into a finer professional and rather expect the student to be already what the institutions are here for. I can say because I have suffered.

    • well same happened to me, i m a droupout who appeared for clat ,after realising engineering was not what i wanted to pursue…and wad did i get, a freaked out paper…all my dreams shattered at once,all hard work crying for justice, feeling cheated , lost , defeated , seems lyk everything ended in those 2 hrs all my hopes just scattered under table i was sitting with the question paper in my hand which appeared to laugh at me…well now my lyf is even miserable i dunt even have another chance to appear for clat(well i dun want to now becoz they cnt b trusted atleast nt by me again) i dun noe wheather i am lucky enough to make it to a college i have been dreaming of since a year now…well the probability is just 1/20000, yeah after all paper was a paper of luck,rather hard work and knowledge…

      i went for an interveiw of some college (sorry dont want to disclose the name ), those people was more intrested in why i didnt have a apptitude for engineering and why did i realise it soo late( well all i want to say to dat is atleast i realised it maybe u asking this question becoz u still haven’t) i thought i was appering for law, not for my character analysis nyways…all i want to say is i really feel sorry this country, i feel sorry for it…we are thought respect your elders but why do they even noe why should we respect them, have they really done nything thing respectfull, well atleast 90% of them have not 

    • hi romika, first of all thanks for taking so much time to post that comment, and I also want to mention they have no rights to sue you. you just said what happened, and if Indian system was perfect then they are the ones who are supposed to be getting sued. 
      And frankly, I don’t really know how B.com admissions work but I totally understand what you mean and how you feel especially if you had to deviate from the degree you WANTED. I just seriously hope someone INFLUENTIAL in India does something about the issue! But unfortunately their influence is used only to get their daughters and sons into the colleges they want!  I feel so raged , but that is all I can feel or do right now! it is such a shame…
      I am sorry for what you went through. And I totally agree with your last comment, they think no student will improve after joining the college, but somehow the money of the students will let them improve. 
      I am sorry I am bringing this again and again I just love the way UK works, India should definitely learn from their education system.. every institute in UK goes through an UCAS application form for an undergraduate admission, then they see academics only as an addition to their personal statement , where you write why you really want to do , and show you have passion and commitment towards the course and then few of the courses again go for an interview- here people are making sure to filter , the most deserving students .. this is how an ideal systems should be.
      now, as India is developing this trend is only spreading .. now even an LKG students need donation. Such a sad world. Thanks once again for the comment . And may I know where you are right now (which college).
         

      • I passed out 12th last year. I joined the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun for BBA. The day I joined it, I knew I deserved a much better college life (even if I didn’t deserve it, I believed it and I still do). I left it within two months and I had been preparing for CLAT since then. Hoping for the best now. Fingers crossed. What do you do, Prashanth?

        By the way, I am happy with the education system, apart from the admission through donations. Hardwork pays and losers need a blame to put on. I was a loser in 12th, and blaming the criteria and the whole system instead of working hard, harder and hardest is what any loser would do. Colleges like SRCC are so exceptional only because the cream of the country (apart from miscellaneous quotas) gets to study there. I know I am contradicting my own statements but that is totally on my state of mind which changes often.. haha

        • unfortunately the truth is that if there weren’t corruption a greater no. of students could get into their dream college.As it is the cutoffs r crazy,then v have reservations. Surely we didn’t another factor to lose out did we?
           And yes,I too am going crazy ever since clat has been over. With such a tight time duration for the paper, I didn’t even get the chance to verify answers. God only knows(and so does that machine) what my score would be. Days seem longer during this period. If not the top 3 law schools,then what? 

          • Hi Romita, I totally understand ! Even I am going through the same thing. But let me tell you if not the top 3, then you still have other National law universities, and if you don’t make it to any of them , it doesn’t mean it is all said and done with for your life. Whichever college you are if you outshine others you will always reach what you want. Just wanted to tell you, Dr,Chidambaram was a graduate from Dr.Ambedkar law college. The university you study in doesn’t really decide everything in life. Maybe it will make it a little easy. This is my opinion 🙂 but again I don’t know everything.. so I may be wrong. Anyways good luck with CLAT.

            • same ti you prashanth! Let’s just hope things work out for all of us for if not it will only lead to more confusion. At this point I am unable to decide about taking up some other course if clat dosen’t work out…I’m not sure I want to.

        • Romika,
          That’s what I said, if you just see the comment just above yours. Anyways. I have made my point! 🙂 it’s wrong and will remain to be even if the indian education system is the bestest .
          And I am doing law in Dr.Ambedkar law college in chennai, alongside I am also doing company secretary course. I have given my CLAT this year.. waiting for the results 🙂 

      • true! … anyways there are a lot of positives as well, its just that you either need to be really good at studies or you need to shed some money! 

  3. And as if to say that Donations were less,we have many reservations for what not.In the end we are the students who suffer.

  4. Dear Author DONATION is not only confined to india….. In fact be thankful it is so less in India……. You want a seat in IVY LEAGUE or OXFORD you just oughtta shell out $3-$5 million……. If you can shell you this then worlds best universities are at your disposable…… 

    • again, whatever you have heard about OXFORD maybe true but try to understand one thing, a normal man is not affected by this, maybe there is a seat in OXFORD which is  3-5 million pounds  away but that wouldnt affect a single deserving soul there! and I don’t know how you are claiming that OXFORD does that .. but this is what I feel , we are being affected and there is no denying

      • and just another thing, this is exactly what I meant when I said criticism is in our blood! why say they are ALSO doing it? UK , whether you accept it or not has the finest methods of selecting students , why not learn from them a little, instead of pointing right back at them. I love India, if you think I was by any chance disproving that  I am sorry ,
        Thanks anyways for the comment 🙂

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