Exam Pressures

I recommend reading “Poisoning Kids” and “Poisoning Kids -2” in case you haven’t so far.

Four years ago, I wrote the “Incremental fallacy”. Many believe steady growth is a good idea. It is not. It may be true in case of physical growth or in case of recovery from a medical condition. In a country struggling for jobs or basic infrastructure incremental growth is the path of the lazy and the corrupt. In most cases ModiSarkar has managed to escape that trap but one domain where it is still almost zero in accomplishment is school education. Earlier Smriti Irani and now Prakash Javdekar have been miserable failures on this front. They were dabbling more with higher education when the curse is on kids in schools. Kids have truly been turned into beasts of burden. And this has been so for long. A few days back this was on Timesnow:

Some MHA inquiry reveals Teesta Setalvad’s stupid writings in a school book (funded by corrupt Congress) reek of communal agenda. What the media or MHA guys don’t openly dare to say – her writings are filled with hatred for Hindus. And this requires an inquiry for months? Even so, no action has been taken against her nor have the books written by her dumped in the garbage. They continue to be used by teachers and students in some states. Commies have filled our books with false history, and lies. The argument that what was done in 60 years cannot be dismantled in 3 years is another fallacy. Establish bogus history clearly and many distortions have also been exposed over the last three decades. So it is not as if things will be done suddenly. The fear of ModiSarkar is that it will be labelled “Saffronisation”. Such fear is uncalled for. The Opposition and media can whine but our children need not be fed anymore with filth of Aryan invasion or glorification of murderous Mughal invaders. Recently, I came across another case of textbook or exercise book for kids that is absolutely disgusting:

The GOI is busy trying to improve universities and IIMs and creating more IITs and institutes of higher learning. All that is fine. There is something that the GOI and HRD ministry and in the education department are seriously ignoring:

Geniuses, innovators and also criminals are not created in higher 

institutions – the roots are in schools and they are created in our schools. Commie filth is also created in our schools 

and not in JNU or some university through bogus books.

In the Congress-UPA decade many books in schools were teaching glorious Pappu or the Pak-stooge Barkha as good examples. The Gandhi family was being glorified and the glorification of Islamic invaders grew. Children are being asked what should a boy do on converting to Islam. They are being taught Indian folklore now in the form of Jesus-salesmen stories. Bollywood too feeds such criminal distortion of our history and some folks are holding a seminar on it:

There are other major issues that should seriously concern ModiSarkar. PM Modi every year sermonises on facing exams without pressure and with a smile. Talk to parents – most will tell you school-life has become a miserable burden for both parents and students by ever-increasing demands. Indian education has yet to learn the new-age methods of the learning and testing systems:

Not everything needs to be taught. Some subjects or topics 

should only be read in schools with pleasure. Secondly, not everything 

that is taught needs to be tested – neither in schools nor at the board level.

That’s how you remove pressure from exams. What sense does it make to ask KG students to do homework? They should just be enjoying in the classroom – playing and learning. What sense does it make to put pressure on kids to cram and memorise history, geography or civics? I don’t think these subjects even need to be tested. Teach but don’t test. Even if the school finds great joy in testing, why not just test these subjects with multiple-choice questions and OMRs (Optical mark readers)? All major international tests largely use OMRs.  In such a case, even a student who has read the chapters casually would usually pick a right choice. And mind you, even if one doesn’t know the answer – making an intelligent guess is also a skill. After all, famous educationist Laurence J Peter did say that “An expert is a person who makes three consecutive guesses right”. Instead of being assembly-line manufacturing units, our school system should aim to produce great thinkers:

In the pressure that these subjects create on students our system damages them in the very core subjects that require the most knowledge and skills. In addition to burdensome tests, there are dozens of Olympiads and external tests which schools force students to take and also make money from. And students not doing well in such tests are further made to feel inferior. All students are not talented to be “Academic scorers”. Many have other skills which will build their life. But basic to these skills are three major subjects – English, Maths and Science (EMS).

Some folks are anti-English. I don’t agree and I don’t think this is an issue anymore. It has long been a second language for India and definitely gives a greater advantage in higher education and globally. The challenge is to bring those lagging behind to higher quality. Not dump English. Here are some facts:

# India has not participated in   Trends in International Maths and Science Study (TIMSS). The countries leading in these tests are Singapore, Japan, Taipei and Korea. Even USA or European nations don’t rank very high.

# In the Program for International Student Assessments (PISA) on the same lines as TIMSS India ranked second-last among 73 countries. Indian students ranked 200 points behind the global topper. Does that worry our GOI and teachers of the three important subjects?

# Even the SAT tests are mainly in English, Maths and Science. It is the gateway to seeking entry to US colleges and universities. Many Indian students appear for this test. SAT scores are also accepted in some higher institutions like IIM or IIT. The pattern of SAT tests are also multiple-choices scored by OMRs.

In addition to all the above, our politicians then wonder why Muslims don’t enter mainstream life or fail to get good jobs. What exactly do Madrassas teach? Any idea? They teach Quran and everything Muslim but Madrassas hardly produce students well-skilled in EMS. In one case a Mullah is reportedly creating a mini Islamic state in Bengal. Is this education? Instead of that, our states continue funding them and try to enforce the holiday system of Madrassas. Who gives a damn whether a Madrassa is closed on Friday or closed on all days. What should concern govts is what they are teaching and what they are testing. If they are not meeting the same standards in key subjects of EMS as demanded from others, then they can close all week. Doesn’t make any difference. So what happens when our students struggle with EMS and are pressurised with History or Civics? Here’s what happens:

Because the schools don’t cater to building the foundations in EMS there is a very vast industry of coaching classes. Parents have to dole out extra-ordinary sums for coaching so that kids are able to not only pass but also score highly in entrance exams to higher education. Kota doesn’t have any university but it is among the richest centres of coaching business. And these coaching centres are as much a den of black money as any other business. In case of higher classes where students have to choose their streams – Commerce can test Accountancy, Statistics, Economics and Arts can test History, Economics etc. as majors. But EMS in the primary stages must receive the highest focus.

How did some our IIMs, IITs or Medical Institutions become world class? Not merely because of their buildings or teachers. These institutes receive the BEST of students who have become very good learners and performers. Most of the students of such institutes are highly skilled in EMS, not in history and civics. Most of them get in because of their merits (I discount those that get in through reservations or some shady quotas). In many IITs former students who finished the course or have finished PhD course also double up as lecturers. In contrast govt spends on permanent “Jamaais” like Kanhaiyas in institutes like JNU that produce nothing or mediocrity.

As an Educationist, I have met over 3000 schools and Principals, interacted with thousands of teachers, students and parents. ALL OF THEM are constantly under pressure. A class-6 CBSE student has an exam period of 11-12 days twice a year. What in hell do they test? Of course, the student is given holidays in between to prepare for the test. How much do you have to prepare for a class-6 test? It has now become criminal torture. Even today, after so much public debate, our kids still carry heavy bags to school. This is definitely a practice that can be ended with dramatic change.

The govt has little or no focus on school education which is the foundation for the future of a country. Most of the focus is on creating more schools and more enrolments - These are basics but very poor measures of good education. ModiSarkar is not the cause of the rot, but it has the mandate and the power to create a dramatic change and relieve pressure from exams that Modi himself wants. I know for sure our school education can be dramatically changed for a better future for students and the country in a very short time. Yes, Education is a State matter but GOI does have control over CBSE, with schools across India and abroad, and the change can start from there. States will naturally follow. Focussing merely on higher institutions is a wrong approach of our GOI. There are many education specialists who can also help. Dramatic changes can relieve exam pressures, not incremental ones.

Chacha Returns - 2

Chacha Nehru’s foreign policies led to some major failures. His Panchsheel with China collapsed. It led to an invasion in which the Indian Army paid a heavy price. Loss of land to China. Gifting UNSC seat to China. Kashmir issue kept hanging and taken to the UN. His NAM now lies in shambles and meaningless. This kind of generosity still burdens us when PM Modi daringly states “Self interest is not in India’s culture” while addressing a foreign-affairs conference.

Selfishness need not drive us but why should “self-interest” be a bad term in foreign policy? Foreign relations or policy is not an outcome of culture - it is definitely a matter of political self-interest. Nevertheless, unlike Nehru, Modi has been fairly successful in foreign relations and it’s one of the successes of his govt. Thought it must be pointed out that while Modi goes around begging the world to isolate Pakistan, his own govt does not support a Bill to declare Pak a terrorist-state. And then this false belief that development is the solution to all problems is also a delusion. If that were true, then developed countries like US, UK or Germany wouldn’t be facing so much strife. There are still racial problems in the US. Problems of immigrants swamping their culture. Riots were triggered after the recent US elections.

It’s also worth remembering that the ABV govt created more jobs than the UPA of 2004-14. There are many firsts to ABV like the Golden Quadrilateral or the PM Gram Sadak Yojana. The level of satisfaction among people was also higher than previous govts. Notably, ABV didn’t go around begging the world after a near international boycott and sanctions following the nuclear tests of 1998. Yet, BJP lost the election and it certainly wasn’t because of failure on the development front. Part of the reason for loss is sheer arrogance and ignoring their own key constituents.

Chanting the development mantra deludes BJP and the PM and results in glossing over or ignoring social strife. Even the cleansing of politics from criminals promised by Modi has taken a back seat. The BJP is also borrowing politicians who are least aligned with the ideology of the party – if at all there is any ideology left. Here’s what a researcher writes (excerpts):

The common defence by politicians that such cases are politically motivated does not hold water if one is serious about clean politics. And what exactly has Modi done to deal with criminals in politics or corrupt politicians? NOTHING! The BJP guys are very fond of writing books. They released a book on Congress scams. After this book LK Advani expressed regret to SoniaG for naming her. Then the great writers of the BJP again brought out a booklet and CD during the 2014 campaign on Robert Vadra calling it “Damadji”. Well, Damadji is now a happy “expert political commentator” in the media and waltzes around with no action against him. And on the unending Kerala killings of Hindus – the BJP again grandly brings out a book:

The killings of Hindus and even destruction of temples and festivals continue unabated in Kerala, Kashmir and Bengal. And the ModiSlaves keep barking he cannot do anything because he doesn’t have majority in Rajya Sabha or that Law & Order is a State matter. This nonsense of idiotic slaves is the worst crime they deliver to Modi himself. Here are some things that Modi does without RS or the State limits:

The woman who hates the BJP genetically being an Islamic-Terror apologist is in their election war-room in UP. Time and again BJP guys cuddle up to her and the rotten NDTV against whom Modi supporters have waged a long battle against their lies and anti-Hindu, anti-BJP propaganda. Worse, corrupt NDTV which should have been banned or shut down gets 15 crores in govt doles as ads and campaigns. Does this take RS majority to stop? Even if some amounts were pending from the UPA era the whole 15 crores cannot be outstanding to be paid till 2016. And this anti-India channel also filed petitions to stop national projects like Sagarmala. What is the message Modi is sending his staunch supporters? Then you have ministers like Venkiah Naidu who trash Rajputs without investigation against their actions against some Bollywood jerk. You have another minister Menaka Gandhi who calls Makara Sankranti a day of massacre. Are these problems created by lack of majority in RS or State limits? Bengal assaults on Hindus and Hindu traditions get worse every single day:

 

Nothing stops PM Modi from visiting these states and those affected and making strong statements against the killings and violence. What majority in RS does he need for this? I cannot be sure but I can estimate the reasons for such cowardice. If Modi does visit and condemn such violence he will be tarred with his baggage of Gujarat 2002. That is his real fear. There is more. The violent incidents in Kerala and Bengal are not accidental. They are carefully calibrated actions to PROVOKE Modi into doing something and then the Sickulars can play victim and cry “Fedaralism under attack”. But I expect my PM to rise above such fears and do the right thing.

Being a Chacha and letting Hindus die or release stupid books is not the answer. Just as he deployed CRPF in Kolkata to protect BJP offices and officials, he can do the same with Kerala and Bengal. Maybe he can even invoke AFSPA in certain areas where ordinary Hindus live their lives under daily threats. It is the PMs job to attend to these social issues and no amount of development can compensate for lives being lost and traditions being lost. I don’t buy that. ABV, President Kalam and even SoniaG visit Gujarat after the 2002 riots. What stops our PM from Bengal and Kerala? He has shown guts to slam “Gaurakshaks” but Hindus being killed means nothing? Even Christian Missionary fraudulent-conversions merrily continue with no action.

Let’s come to Demonetisation. It heaped misery on millions of Indians with the cash-crunch. We still supported that move as a daring move. Is that the only way to fight black money? No! That would have been great if he had not allowed political parties to escape with their black money. I explained this in “Noteban Blackhole”. Still, instead of only demonetization had a few corrupt politicians and black money hoarders been prosecuted severely that would have sent a larger message. As it stands, not a single corrupt politician fears ModiSarkar and roams around free. Modi is the one who said he will “punish the corrupt”. But what does ModiSarkar do? Sharad Pawar, perceived as one of the most corrupt politicians, is honoured with a Padma award. Go to hell people – I care two hoots about what you think; politics first for me! That’s the message Modi is giving you.

Let’s take another social issue – Jallikattu. The BJP had supported it. Nirmala Sitharaman spoke in its favour in early 2016 too. Yet the deep slumber of ModiSarkar led to agitations in TN. Is your development mantra going to assuage sentiments of people? BJP was made the villain of the whole piece. The true anti-Jallikattu villain, the Congress, on the contrary was mouthing nonsense in support of it. It took 7 days for Venkiah Naidu to even state that it was Congress in 2011 that initiated the Jallikattu-ban. Modi was sleeping and so also his TV-hugging spokies. Such disasters fueled more by the media against BJP are lost on Modi, but he funds NDTV for their anti-Hindu, anti-India, pro-terrorist nonsense.

Last year, a Muslim school principal in Kolkata, Kazi Akhtar was attacked and thrown out for teaching his children the national anthem. Are we to be ashamed of our own national anthem? What stops Modi condemning such actions and demanding that this principal be re-instated in his school? NOTHING! No majority in RS is required. In contrast, when the bogus “attack on Christians” fraud was perpetrated by the media he quickly established a helpline for Christians. Why is there no such helpline for Hindus in Kerala or Bengal? Are they to die like goats? Hindutva has nothing to do with all of this. This is just demanding that all citizens be treated equally and fairly. Oh! But “Development” is the solution to all problems. YES! Enjoy that development when your family head or member is DEAD.

When BJP MP Hukum Singh reported over 300 families from Kairana (UP) were forced to leave their homes and town by Muslim goons not one BJP member, MP or MLA stood by him. The media trashed it as lies. The Opposition claimed it was communal fear-mongering. Now, during UP elections, Rajnath Singh tells us such exodus will never happen again. Just as Ram Mandir crap before UP elections such bogus promises are held out. Why didn’t the HM go to Kairana and resolve issues? That Hindus will be safe ONLY if BJP is in govt? Is that the stupid logic? We have seen that Hindus suffer even when the BJP-Centre is voted with great majority. And no less than the SC has ruled that it’s the job of the State and the Centre where communal conflicts happen:

As a PM, Modi needs to assert himself and send out a clear message that such nonsense will not be tolerated. But he has no words for such issues. That development will solve these problems. No they will not. Year after year in his “Mann ki baat” Modi sermonizes students to stay free of exam-pressure. Never mind that. But what stops him from dramatically changing the education system that creates such pressures in the first place? NOTHING! Instead he has ribbon-cutting ministers on education. There is more endorsement for the anti-Hindu RTE Act and no effort to modify it at all. There are reports that many schools have closed down due to the RTE discrimination. But worse are reports of falling standards of education due to RTE which cannot be denied. It will take only ONE STROKE to dramatically reduce the pressure of exams on students. It can be done. There is no need for a million sermons or psychologists who are in this business.

World over, countries like US, UK and others in Europe are waking up to Islamic Expansionist plans while our GOI slumbers over it. Kairana is only one small town. The plans to resettle KPs in Kashmir are being constantly thwarted. But Muslim refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh are swamping some of our major towns to create a demographic imbalance, including in J&K:

 

Modi calls our Constitution a “Holy Book. Even Americans don’t call their Constitution that. A Constitution that has been savaged by the Congis over the years through hundreds of amendments. If indeed it is, why are Mullahs issuing Fatwas so frequently? Why are some Muslims claiming their Sharia or Quran is above our Constitution? Make a law that warrants a punishment for any Mullah issuing a Fatwa or anyone abusing the Constitution. It cannot be holy unless ALL Indians are taught to respect it.

During his term, ABV too tried to be a Chacha and win accolades from his worst enemies – the Commie media and Sickulars. I see the danger of this happening all over again. We voted Modi to ensure Nehruvian concept of Sickularism and sluggish economic conditions disappear. The Chacha slaves even labeled his economic failures as “Hindu rate of growth”. When criticism is offered, the ModiSlaves rant “Oh, so you want Congress back”? No! The criticism is more to seek ModiSarkar to face realities so that Congress doesn’t return as it did in 2004. That’s the danger of Chacha returning again. And Hindus are not seeking special privileges but that they are treated at par with all others.

Chacha Returns

“In a hierarchy, every employee tends 

to rise to his level of incompetence”

That principle by educationist Laurence J Peter is mostly true but also has many exceptions. Dramatic directional efforts have also resulted in greater performances by individuals taking on higher responsibilities. This is the trust that voters invested in Narendra Modi. He was voted PM based on his performances in Gujarat and also the vision he communicated well throughout many election campaigns. That he was also vilified by the Sickulars and media for being a Hindutva icon and for the 2002 riots helped him gain sympathy across India. It is many of his speeches in Gujarat (mostly made in Hindu to cater to the national audience) that made him an inevitable choice for the BJP PM candidate. It would be excessive to imagine the “development agenda” alone got NaMo the extraordinary support in LS2014. His being consistently viewed as a Hindutva icon, often referred to as the “Hindu Hriday Samrat” also played a big part. Modi also had been happy in portraying himself as such and calling himself a “Hindu Nationalist”.

On his last day in the Gujarat Assembly in May 2014 Modi was requested by his old friend Shankarsinh Vaghela, now in the Congress since long, to build the Ram Mandir. But I haven’t heard Modi mentioning the temple ever since he became PM. The last I remember him mentioning it was after the 2010 Allahabad HC verdict. Nothing after. Whenever Subramaniam Swamy raised the temple issue he was invariably snubbed. However, come UP2017 Amit Shah again grandly promises a Ram Mandir as part of the agenda. Some of the campaign promises that Modi made in his 2014 campaign speeches are:

# Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas (SSSV)

# Packing up and sending back illegal Bangladeshis

# Bringing back black money stashed abroad

# That people not only wanted corrupt thrown out but also punished. Modi promised this.

Modi has been largely successful in the SSSV agenda of his and that has earned him national and international laurels. And deservedly so. As someone who has fought the criminal media for long over their campaign of vilification of Modi through this blog-site, it does perturb me over his constant neglect of social causes and issues, especially where Hindus and Hindu issues are concerned. Politics across the world is dominated by economics, growth and employment but social issues are strongly woven into electoral outcomes. Since he became PM, Modi went across the country and the world giving great bladder-rocking speeches to large audiences. The euphoria was almost akin to Beatlemania. ModiSlaves even started calling him a Rockstar. It is what transpired in almost 3 years since he became PM that is stunning. Modi has shied away from taking any major Hindutva related decision or repealing any anti-Hindu policy.

World over Fiberals are falling and right wing is rising. There is no real right wing in India but the closest clone is BJP and Modi had acquired the reputation of a hardliner. Since Gujarat, there is nothing hardline or RW about Modi. Thus, when Donald Trump became President of the US and start taking tough, unpalatable decisions the comparison with Modi became inevitable. Let me assert – Modi is nothing like Trump. Modi is far more measured and far more sober as a politician, But it’s Modi’s unwillingness to act on his pre-election promises as against Trump where he comes a cropper. Trump got busy from day 1 implementing his agenda. With Modi many of his most ardent slaves are confused on what his agenda is. When Modi is criticized on his slowness, the ModiSlaves usually come up with silly nonsense like “You don’t know Modi – he’s a Chanakya” or “You just wait – Modi has an ace up his sleeve”. This balderdash by ModiSlaves who think they read his mind while in their toilets is even more comic. 

However, privately, even the greatest ModiSlaves cannot help admitting that Modi is different from the guy we knew from Gujarat or the guy from the 2014 election campaign. Some loosely suggest that he’s seeking a Nobel, which is silly. Some say he now wants to be a statesman, which Modi never will be remembered as. Some say he has just become too obsessed with his own image. In the past I have written caution-notes titled “Goody two shoes” or “Tiger light, clay feet”. I fear my worst imagination is coming true. With great power comes greater responsibility and Modi has worn that responsibility with great dignity. But with greater power or responsibility your fundamental beliefs and principles cannot be thrown to the winds. Read these words carefully:

So Congress can cater to Ramzan-based actions. Okay! Child producing centres? Okay! Hum paanch, humare pachees? Okay! And those who are multiplying population will have to learn a lesson. Ahem! So if Sakshi Maharaj talks about Muslim population explosion the BJP distances him. But that was the Modi of Gujarat in 2002. Today, Modi says 65% of our population is made of youth that are ass-ets. Population control can go to hell. Count a blessing by Mahatma Modi! Hindus are driven out of West UP or Bengal or Kerala. But hey, I am now PM so my principle beliefs can also change. In case of Modi, it doesn’t corrupt him. It makes him a bigger Nehru than Nehru was. Don’t take my word for it. None other than Modi’s photo-op seeking Lutyens Dalal wrote “Modi is our most Nehruvian PM since Nehru”. Holy cow! CHACHA RETURNS!

Shekhar “Wheeler Dealer” Gupta may have blabbered in routine Lutyens tongue but I am now seriously thinking that Modi wants to be remembered the way Fiberals cherish Nehru. The desire to be accepted by the worst scumbags in Lutyens, Commie media or across the world seems to drive Modi. It is here that Trump has come across as a maverick politician willing and daring to break shackles and Modi is failing. It is easy to puff up your chest in Hindu-dominated Gujarat and dare to tell the truth about worthless Madrassas (And Shiva only knows what they teach – I don’t):

Now that you have the power why are these useless Madrassas still being doled out to eternity? Why not demand they get to mainstream education? It’s worse when many of them disrespect our country, our Constitution and even our national anthem. You don’t have to be a Hindutva icon to demand Muslims commit their allegiance to this country. That’s what Trump did. And Trump did not seek Muslims to become Christians either. He just seeks commitment to America. But what does our Chacha blabber? He goes on to say “Islam is a religion of peace”. In 2001 Modi was the first to accept the term “Islamic terror” in an NDTV show with Rajdeep Sardesai. And now? Why such hypocrisy? You qualify to be Chacha! You have fallen to the deception while Trump had the marbles to take a call on Muslim terror threat like no world leader ever did. India has been the worst victim of Islamic terror. Nobody even sought Hindutva from you. They only sought a level-playing field for all Indians.

Kejri, Pappu, Nobrain, Lechury all rush to Hyderabad or Dadri to lament over a lynching or the cowardly suicide by Vemula. Over the fake Christians under attack campaign you set up a Christian helpline. But unending murders of Hindus, destruction of their temples and homes, wiping out towns of Hindu existence doesn’t bother you. But you weep in a function over a coward called Vemula. Birthdays, anniversaries, anthems for T-20 or sports – everything gets Modi’s attention EXCEPT Hindus being slaughtered. Hindu Hriday Samrat, please explain this:

While the Opposition rushed to every spot to create a “Hindu intolerance” nonsense, Modi just watched in utter wimpishness the slaughter of Hindus. Your duffer Venkiah Naidu blabbers about some Bhansali attack without knowing facts. Modi is more bothered about how Hindu-haters view him than how Hindus love him. What gives? Not one tweet or condemnation from Modi over the Kerala or Bengal killings or riots. And yet another one:

The comparison with Trump happens because he is clear about his conviction and intent on issues he promised action. Chacha Modi has lost his way in trying to be Goody Two Shoes. And the ModiSlaves keep on defending his slumber and failure. Modi could have visited families of Hindus killed in Kerala or Bengal and made a strong speech. Commie Pigs in these states cannot stop the PM’s visit as they stop others. Modi himself has experience of ABV and Prez Kalam visiting during 2002. What stops you? Do you care? Your visit and strong statements could have made a difference. You chose to keep counseling students of which there is no real need when there are million other psychologists and counselors doing the job. What’s worse? You have never been a parent nor attempted a competitive exam to be offering such counseling. Take good note of that.

As a staunch supporter I am truly disappointed at your stupid priorities. And I feel like Chacha Nehru has truly returned. I am not finished.

To be continued…