The high price of a percentile

As the Board exam season approaches, a familiar sound fills our airwaves. Radio advertisements, backed by upbeat music, offer “best wishes” to the lakhs of students appearing for SSC and HSC exams. But listen closer, and the mask slips. These aren’t wishes; they are sales pitches.

In India, over 17 lakh students will appear for the 10th and 20 lakh for the 12th Board exams. To the coaching-centre industry, these children are not human beings — they are raw material for their next marketing campaign.

The business model is simple and cynical. Coaching centres and “reputed” schools admit only the “cream” — those already scoring above 90%. They then “polish” these naturally high-performing kids, claim 100% of the credit, and splash their faces across giant hoardings. But what happens to the child who gives their absolute best and scores 70%? By ignoring them, our system tells them they are “defective”.

As an aeronautical engineer, I understand the value of precision. But as a mother and entrepreneur, I see a devastating human cost. When we reduce a child’s value to a number on a hoarding or a WhatsApp status, we create a reality so suffocating that children look for any way out.

We wonder why our youth are falling prey to addiction; they are seeking a temporary escape from a world that only loves them if they are “toppers”. We wonder why our children are becoming increasingly violent; it is the outward expression of a deep, suppressed frustration. Most tragically, we wonder why student suicides are at an all-time high. It is because we have taught them that a low score is a social death sentence.

We see a growing trend of parents posting mark sheets on social media, seeking validation for their own parenting. We must stop using our children’s marks as social media trophies. If we only celebrate the 95%, we are telling the 70% scorer that their effort was in vain.

Why are we choosing the monetary gain of coaching centres and our own social ego over the lives of our children? It is time to applaud the courage to appear, not just the score. Let us prepare our children for life, not just for a three-hour test. Our children need to know they are loved for who they are, not for where they stand on a hoarding.

sonal.kaushalyaindustries@gmail.com