13 years ago on a Wednesday in March, I too started the long walk to the exam hall. Yes, it was the first exam of the much renowned SSLC.
An exam which makes parents and students tense alike. An exam that makes a student start up his tuitions as early as 9th standard Mid Summer Vacations. Portions, revisions, Model Exams and what not. There is a much of euphoria associated with a student once his/her 9th results are up and he/she has passed successfully to the 10th standard.
"Start Tuitions" .. The parents roar
"Early classes to finish portions" .. Teachers would organize
"Aren't you not going for tuitions? Isn't SSLC this year?".. Relatives would ask
The first day of the exams is the toughest, then all come and go as fast as it can. The day when you revised the Vritham and Alankaram of Abhinjaana Shankunthalam will easily pave way to the day you revise trigonometry and algebra. Fast and furious, 12 subjects in 6 days*, from one Wednesday to the next.
At the end of it is relief and anxiety. Relief that the exams are over and anxiety for the marks that are to be announced at the fag end of May.Then you get into a college, do another big struggle against entrance exams and join another institution. Finally at the end of the day you realize that hype surrounding the SSLC just fetches you an admission to the Plus One or the erstwhile Pre-Degree Course aka PDC.
The best thing that the government did was the abolishment of ranking system and the introduction of grading system. Instead of the pressure for ranks, now it would the pressure for all A+'s.
Today around 4.5 lakh students are just about to start their first small step into the big world. I hope they have memorized their poems, I hope they can decipher the correct Vrithams for the poems given and explain about it in detail, I hope they can elaborate on the topic given for essay, I hope they can explain "Chantrakkaran's"** physical structure, I hope they can explain the French and Russian revolutions and Boston Tea Party with much ease, and I hope they come out successful.
I wish them the very best.
* If I remember correctly we were the last batch to attend SSLC exams in such a way. Two papers in a day, to complete 12 subjects in 6 days. It started on a Wednesday and ended the next Wednesday Today they write only one exam a day, I think.
** Chantrakkaran - A character from the novel Dharmaraja, by C.V Raman Pillai, which was taught us in Malayalam II paper. The most prominent question those days was - "Chantrakkarante Roopam Varnikkuka". I do not know what they study these days for Malayalam II.
An exam which makes parents and students tense alike. An exam that makes a student start up his tuitions as early as 9th standard Mid Summer Vacations. Portions, revisions, Model Exams and what not. There is a much of euphoria associated with a student once his/her 9th results are up and he/she has passed successfully to the 10th standard.
"Start Tuitions" .. The parents roar
"Early classes to finish portions" .. Teachers would organize
"Aren't you not going for tuitions? Isn't SSLC this year?".. Relatives would ask
The first day of the exams is the toughest, then all come and go as fast as it can. The day when you revised the Vritham and Alankaram of Abhinjaana Shankunthalam will easily pave way to the day you revise trigonometry and algebra. Fast and furious, 12 subjects in 6 days*, from one Wednesday to the next.
At the end of it is relief and anxiety. Relief that the exams are over and anxiety for the marks that are to be announced at the fag end of May.Then you get into a college, do another big struggle against entrance exams and join another institution. Finally at the end of the day you realize that hype surrounding the SSLC just fetches you an admission to the Plus One or the erstwhile Pre-Degree Course aka PDC.
The best thing that the government did was the abolishment of ranking system and the introduction of grading system. Instead of the pressure for ranks, now it would the pressure for all A+'s.
Today around 4.5 lakh students are just about to start their first small step into the big world. I hope they have memorized their poems, I hope they can decipher the correct Vrithams for the poems given and explain about it in detail, I hope they can elaborate on the topic given for essay, I hope they can explain "Chantrakkaran's"** physical structure, I hope they can explain the French and Russian revolutions and Boston Tea Party with much ease, and I hope they come out successful.
I wish them the very best.
* If I remember correctly we were the last batch to attend SSLC exams in such a way. Two papers in a day, to complete 12 subjects in 6 days. It started on a Wednesday and ended the next Wednesday Today they write only one exam a day, I think.
** Chantrakkaran - A character from the novel Dharmaraja, by C.V Raman Pillai, which was taught us in Malayalam II paper. The most prominent question those days was - "Chantrakkarante Roopam Varnikkuka". I do not know what they study these days for Malayalam II.
7 comments:
old lovely days !!! I feel goood to remember that our tension last only for one week... but now ..tension are for three weeks !!! ;-)
Good old days!!! :)
Nice post !!
Joju - Very true. The tension is longer now.. hmm lucky us.
Preetha - Welcome here. Nostlagic days rt
ooh that was really a time of tension considering the fact that I used to open my books only on the prev day of exams :D Think that's the first step to a competitive world.. Nice nostalgic post and good that u remember all the Vritham, Alankaram n all :)
It is always nostalgia time when you hear about board exams. We had to study 7th and 8th Std books in 7th and then 9th Std books in 8th and 10th Std books in 9th. So final year was "only" revisions.This is a stupid system practiced by all ICSE schools in Bangalore and puts a terrible strain on weaker students. Our class would be reduced to half by the time we reached 10th. This also ensured 100% results. I think SSLC is kinder on students that way! Good nostalgic read!
SSLC days were like mass hysteria times..i was in CBSE and hence couldnt really feel the heat..but remember very well the excitment of friends..our exams used to be over before SSLC and it was a pleasure watching them slog.. ;-P
Dhanya - SSLC and you opening only a day before. Hats off to you gal :) And Yep I am pretty good in those vrithams and alankarams, actually I loved to study Malayalam, but fate made me an Engineer rather Injineer
Silverine - You guys were Sooper. SSLC is kinder, but the schools may not be. Even in good Govt Schools they start portions a bit earlier, but not a class earlier :)
mathew - I know your exams used to be over before SSLC from my friends, but I guess CBSE was much tougher.
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