Editorial
SAJAD BHAT Counsellor
Education is meant to shape the future of a child. Every parent sends their child to school with hope that one day their child will be able to read, write, understand the world, and stand on their own feet. But in many schools of Poonch and Rajouri, the reality is very painful and worrying.
Today, we find students in Class 8 who cannot even read or write a simple lesson from Class 2nd . Some cannot form proper sentences. This clearly shows that something is seriously wrong in our education system.
One major reason is the policy of promoting students to higher classes without checking their actual learning. Children are passed every year, whether they understand the subject or not. This may reduce failure on paper, but in reality, it pushes children deeper into weakness. A weak foundation can never support higher learning.
Exams, which should test a student’s knowledge, have become just a formality. In many schools, students are allowed to copy from books. In some cases, answers are written on the blackboard, and students simply copy them into their answer sheets. This “copy culture” has spread like a disease, especially at the primary level where strong learning should begin.
The most shocking part is the result system. Students who cannot write answers on their own are given full marks. School records and answer sheets clearly show that a student who is actually at “zero” level is declared “100 percent” in exams. This is not education it is just a false picture created to show good results.
But the biggest question is what will happen to such students in the future? Imagine a student who reaches Class 10 but still cannot read or write properly. How will they understand subjects like Science, Mathematics, or English? How will they write board exams? Even if they somehow pass through copying or support, what will happen after that? In real life, there is no blackboard with answers written on it. There is no teacher allowing copying in jobs, competitive exams, or daily life tasks.
The responsibility lies both with the policies and with the schools. Policies that focus only on pass percentage and enrolment numbers ignore the real purpose of education. Schools sometimes choose the easy way showing high results instead of ensuring real learning. This degrading system is dangerous. It is like showing a sick person as healthy just by hiding the disease. The problem remains inside and becomes worse with time. Teachers, too, are affected by this system. Instead of focusing on honest teaching, they are often forced to maintain records and show “good results.” This reduces the quality of education and demoralizes sincere teachers. If this continues, we will have a generation of students who hold certificates but lack basic knowledge and skills. We need urgent change
Exams must be fair and copying should be strictly stopped Examinations are not just a routine they are meant to check what a student has actually learned. A fair exam helps teachers understand the strengths and weaknesses of students. But when copying is allowed, the whole purpose of exams is lost.
In many schools today, exams are not conducted seriously. Students are allowed to copy from books, from each other, or from answers written on the blackboard. Sometimes, this is done openly, as if it is normal. This practice is extremely harmful.
When a student copies in an exam, they may get good marks, but they do not gain knowledge. It creates a false belief in the child that they are doing well, while in reality, they are falling behind. Over time, this habit becomes permanent, and the student stops trying to learn altogether.
Basic reading and writing skills must be checked regularly Reading and writing are the foundation of all education. If a child cannot read properly or write simple sentences, it becomes very difficult for them to understand any subject whether it is Science, Mathematics, or Social Studies. That is why checking these basic skills regularly is extremely important.
In many schools today, this basic checking is being ignored. Students move from one class to another without anyone properly checking whether they can read a paragraph or write a few correct sentences. As a result, their weaknesses keep increasing year after year.
Students should be promoted to the next class only when they have actually learned the basic concepts, not just because of a fixed policy of automatic promotion. At the same time, teachers must be supported and encouraged to teach honestly, without pressure to show false results or high pass percentages. A healthy system is one where teachers focus on real learning rather than paperwork and artificial success. Parents also have an important role they should look beyond marks and percentages and try to understand whether their child can truly read, write, and understand the subject. Real education is not about getting high marks, but about gaining knowledge and skills that help in life.
We must understand one simple truth: It is better to accept a child at “zero” and help them improve, rather than falsely showing them at “100 percent” and ruining their future.
The time has come to end this illusion and bring back real education before it is too late for our children.
Sajad Bhat
Counsellor
Rajouri
Author: therajouritimes
Lakkar Mandi Janipur Jammu
