Well, well, board exams are near. Probably most of you are gearing up for the boards, given by lakhs of children in India, studying in 10th and 12th class, each year.

The hype of board exams is just beyond par among parents and teachers having high expectations from students. Every school is in the race to complete the syllabus as soon as possible and make students revise the topics for a thousand more times before the exams come.

Students are given various lectures on how to score more in exams and not how to study. Although the preface of the NCERT books prescribed by CBSE clearly states that education should be implemented with real life and practical learning and not just based on rote learning, most of the schools just teach students as if students are mere sources for producing results in the boards. If a school achieves a considerable result, no sooner do we see their advertisements in newspapers.

What the schools don't realise is that the student comes to school to learn, relate and ask questions rather than memorising the information given in the books.

Also, practicals in schools are not given importance. I agree, that understanding the theory part is very essential, but if we integrate the same with practicals, wouldn't it be much better! But schools just don't care. For an instance, taking the example of my school, my science teacher received a call from one of the seniors to send a picture to CBSE (as my school is CBSE affiliated) with students performing practicals in the school's chemistry lab. And what my teacher did, took us to the lab, made us wear lab coats, told us to put a couple of chemicals on the table, and clicked a photograph. Done! So simple.

Another instance is of CBSE inspections ( as told by our teachers). In the days of the school inspection by CBSE officials, teachers instruct us to complete our notebooks and get them checked properly, whether or not they have been checked the whole year, so that the school can meet up to the standards. Also, we are instructed to keep quiet and treat the officials with utmost respect and worship our school as if the school was heaven.

So, what I want from CBSE, a humble request, to just make the rules strict for schools not adhering to the CBSE guidelines. Only then will this business of results will stop, if schools are checked over periods of time over the curricular year. Also, CBSE should start some initiative to gather feedbacks directly from students about the quality of education in their school.

I know, most of you have probably encountered or are encountering at least one of these problems in your schools. But when you thought of a solution to this, you were only told by yourself that your action will make no change and you will be supressed. Well, this is the chance for bringing a change.

Sign this petition!