The Equation of Education:An Inverse Relationship Between Marks and Learning

✒️:. Abdul Rouf

The topic I wish to raise today is uncomfortable for many. It may unsettle parents, students, and even educators, yet it urgently demands honest and thoughtful discussion. It concerns examinations, results, and the way academic success is perceived and celebrated particularly in Kashmir.

For more than five years now, we have witnessed a growing obsession with marks and percentages. Results are declared, social media overflows with congratulatory messages, and students are instantly labelled “successful.” Beneath this glittering surface, however, lies a disturbing reality: the gradual erosion of meaningful learning and intellectual development.

Let me clarify at the outset that my intention is not to undermine the hard work or achievements of students, nor to demoralise anyone. My concern is systemic. As a teacher and as a responsible member of society, it deeply pains me to see education reduced to a mere race for numbers.

One of the most neglected aspects of our system is the examination pattern itself. Present-day examinations are structured in a manner that rewards rote memorisation rather than genuine understanding. Students are trained to qualify examinations, not to question, reason, analyse, or explain.

Some time ago, a colleague of mine shared an incident that perfectly illustrates this problem. He asked a student a simple conceptual question in mathematics: Why do we stop solving a quadratic equation when the discriminant is negative? The student responded with complete confidence, “I attempted the OR option.” Ironically, the same student had secured more than 90 per cent.

This was not an isolated episode but a telling reflection of a larger malaise. Increasingly, students who struggle to explain even the simplest concepts score exceptionally high, while genuinely intelligent and inquisitive learners those who think critically rather than rely on mechanical memorisation are pushed to the margins. Such an inversion of merit is not merely unfortunate, it is deeply troubling and forces us to question the very purpose of our assessment system.

Ironically, the most affected by this system are also those who celebrate it the most. Parents proudly circulate results on social media, often unaware that their children may be confined within a narrow, exam-centric mindset. Applause replaces reflection; celebration replaces scrutiny. Many rush for interviews not to appreciate academic effort meaningfully, but to serve personal interests or gain momentary fame.

If a student of Class 8, 9, or 10 cannot write an answer in his or her own words and merely reproduces memorised content after repeated reading, then such learning can hardly be called learning at all. If that same student still scores 95 or 96 per cent, we must ask ourselves: What do these marks truly represent?

The primary responsibility of a school is not to manufacture impressive percentages but to cultivate intelligence, creativity, confidence, and moral awareness. Education must aim at the holistic development of the learner, not merely the production of a report card.

As philosopher John Dewey rightly stated,
“The true aim of education is to foster the power of self-education.”
Education should prepare students to learn independently throughout life.
we are trapped in a comforting illusion with easier examinations, reduced syllabi, and repeated relaxations. In reality, they weaken young minds. Knowledge is diluted, intellectual struggle is avoided, and the spirit of competition is blunted. Slowly but steadily, the soul of education is being stripped away.

Statistics further expose this illusion. Qualification ratios today hover around 85:15—out of every 100 students, 85 pass.
When students eventually face competitive examinations such as NEET, civil services, or other national-level tests, they encounter a harsh reality. Out of nearly 10,000 IAS aspirants, barely two or three succeed. Out of 100 NEET aspirants, only two or three secure a government MBBS seat. At this stage, many realise that they were never adequately prepared for competition, analytical thinking, or academic pressure. Numerous students who once scored exceptionally well later find themselves stagnating not due to a lack of marks, but due to a lack of intellectual grooming.

The need of the hour is bold and thoughtful reform. Our education system must prioritise:

1. Conceptual understanding over memorisation
2. Early exposure to analytical and competitive thinking
3. Examination patterns that assess reasoning rather than recall
4. A syllabus that challenges minds instead of comforting them Contrary to popular belief, challenging students does not harm them actually it strengthens them.

Educational reform is not the responsibility of institutions alone; society itself must change its mindset. We must stop equating intelligence with percentages and success with public applause. Curiosity, originality, and critical thinking must be encouraged and celebrated.
Films like Three Idiots have deeply resonated with us emotionally, yet we have failed to apply their message in practice. Individuals who attempt meaningful reform are often discouraged, criticised, or pulled down by collective insecurity.

There is another crucial aspect that demands attention. During interviews, many high-scoring students casually claim that they studied only one or two hours a day, sometimes limited to the final weeks before examinations. This narrative is misleading and harmful. When a teacher whether of physics, mathematics, or any other subject teaches for forty minutes daily throughout the academic year, the cumulative instructional time amounts to several hours. It is therefore illogical to assume that such depth of learning can be genuinely achieved through minimal, last-minute study. A student who spends six to seven hours each day in school cannot compensate for months of learning by studying only two or three hours in the final months. Education does not thrive on shortcuts, understanding is shaped by consistency, engagement, and time.

Such claims act like sleeping pills for younger students preparing for future examinations. They create dangerous illusions. In reality, many of these students do spend long hours with books though largely in rote learning. By projecting a false image of effortless success, they unintentionally deceive others.

My words may discomfort many, but they are spoken with concern, not condemnation. This is the darker side of our schooling system one that demands honest confrontation. If we continue on this path, we risk producing a generation rich in marks but poor in wisdom.