SSC Education – game of chance!

Mr. Vasant Purke State Education Minister for schools and Mr. Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, the education minister have done a complete hatchet job for over 16 lakh SSC students in Maharashtra. For the last three years the Ministers have been fooling around with the admission process and have been made to eat crow every time by the Courts. Being an Education Minister, one would think that he would be the first to learn his lessons. But politicians I suppose are in a different class where “learning lessons” is not taught! This year too, the High Court has thrown out of the window as unconstitutional the Education Ministry’s best 5 subject percentage notification. All SSC schools were informed much before the exams about the best 5 rule, as a result lakhs of students have concentrated on only five subjects so as to get a high percentage. The SSC results proved this – almost 14000 students getting more than 90%, more than 40000 students getting between 80-90%, as a result of which the ICSE students numbering about 8300 having a best of 7 average would have had hardly any chance of securing admission in a decent college of their choice.
Last year after objections from parents the so called percentile system was stopped after intervention of the High Court, this year too, the same has transpired. The “Educated” ministers are probably trying to play vote bank politics and are trying to gain cheap publicity with their antics, which would be ob better display in a circus – where children’s careers are not at stake! Guess what! It is the Congress government which has been consistently embarrassing the High Command by their foolish last minute policy changes. Once bitten, twice shy – that is what one would think, but with our guys, it is once bitten try again and get slapped again and again – displaying true Gandhian philosophy of non-violence to the Courts.
With just less than 8300 ICSE student in Maharashtra, the State Government has tried to woo the Maharashtrian families where more than 16 lakh students appeared. What happens to these students now? The State Government has issued mark sheets based on best 5 subjects. Are they going to withdraw all mark sheets or are they going to issue fresh mark sheets to all the students based on the High Court decision? If that happens what happens to the psyche of those students have already been put on a pedestal by the media? What happens to those students whose marks in the remaining subjects brings their average down to 80-90 levels from high 90 levels? Instead of helping relieve the stress of students and their parents we have these buffoons increasing stress levels all round. Whom are you trying to upstage 8000 odd students from ICSE?
What is the solution to this mindless behavior? Will it not be easier to build more colleges, increase the seats so that education, becomes a right for every child wanting to learn? Is not the Governments duty to provide affordable education for all? We have technical/medical education institutions being owned by politicians of all hues – where money takes the front seat in the form of capitation and annual fees as opposed to facilities for students and quality teachers for providing quality education!
High time we sent our Ministers to school so that they can distinguish between what is right and wrong – preferably to a Gurukul where they get their mental foundations laid by a spiritual Guru!