The High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) examination -2023, conducted by the Board of Secondary Education, Manipur (BOSEM), has finally begun with about 38,000 students appearing for the said exam. And for these odd 38,000 students of the state, this exam is, perhaps, the first and real test of their lives, a test that will help them decide the course of their future. So, it is expected that pressures and stress are set to rise for the students and not only from their own expectations, but also from their teachers, families, parents, etc. So much so that it can make many of them nervous, even leading to the extent of using unfair means to achieve that expectations.
We cannot deny that the HSCL examinations are vital in one’s life as it, on most occasions, helps determine the future of a student. Be it for further studies and choice of subjects for the same, or for employment in government jobs, a qualification of at least Class 10 is almost always important. The greater or better the marks in the board exams, the more confidence it gives to the students too. But in all that, do we really need to keep our expectations so high and mount pressure on our wards and children to achieve the target we have set for them?
Exams are one of the most stressful parts in a student’s life – they work and slog for it in order to achieve a target set for themselves or that is set by their parents, families or guardians. They believe that the results will determine how much they have studied and learnt over the past one year or the semester. Hence, the pressure is already high.
Perhaps, in such a situation, it would be better that parents and guardians do not set their expectations too high and pressurize their children and wards to achieve that target. Exams are important but so is learning, if not more so. Let the students enjoy learning for that is what will really take them ahead in life. Let us encourage them to learn, perhaps not only from their books but from life around too. Let us encourage, support and guide them rather than setting high expectations, which many may not fulfil and only discourage them.
Learning is a lifelong process and exams are just events to determine what one has studied or learnt in a year. Exams are academic while learning is beyond it all. Therefore, it is vital that we support and encourage those students appearing in the ongoing HSLC examination so that they are not stressed out and fall under pressure. Let them enjoy the joy of learning and it is only when one enjoys a certain work or act that progress is achieved.
We wish the students of the state the best of luck for the HSLC examination, 2023.
(The views expressed are personal)
