Peace prevails

Life after exams is like the peace that prevails after a hurricane strikes a coast. Unlike the rummages of the havock that linger for a long time, the memories of exams get faded quickly only coming back to memory when something called grades are displayed on the notice board on a decrepit wall on some corner of the college! The other day I was checking the Stanford GBS site and was thinking why dont Indian b-schools or for that matter institutes of higher learning follow the same.

Infact I sometimes feel that in India, we are behind a mad rush of marks and grades. Right from LKG, we are taught that to rank in the top of the class is important. Its built into the psyche of a child. Parents says "Beta, agar tum ache number laoge, tho hum tumhe dher saara gift denge", "Munni, agar tum iss baar school mein first aayi tho mein tumhe ek luna dilwaongi", "Oye puttariya, ache number laaye, tho ek nayi gaddi dilaunga tere naal"! The child grows up thinking marks are the true indicator of one's talent. The top 3 in the class are given certificates and called on-stage during the annual day, they are made the class monitor and teachers assign special attention towards them making those in the bottom-rung remain there thinking "Bhagwan, yeh kis janam ka paap bhugat raha hu". Can this system be changed? Is there any way in improving the overall level of an individual? Are the US and European schools successfully tackling this issue?

I have to search answers for these...Till then, am off to sleep!