Ludhiana, June 14
“In the class XII CBSE
examinations, only a handful of Ludhiana students scored more than 90
per cent marks. In humanities, the highest score was under 90 per cent.
In the Class X CBSE examinations , the students fared better but not as
well as those of Chennai and Delhi.
Dr S.S. Sharma, a parent, said, “
I find the standard of education is not so good in Ludhiana or else why
would our children not do so well ”.
The results of various
competitive examinations show that Ludhiana students stand nowhere. In
the PMT, only one student did well. In the CET journalism examination, a
student got the 21st rank.
In the PTU CET examination while a student
from Amritsar stood first and a girl from Bhatinda got the second
position, a Ludhiana student was placed at the fifth position only. In
spite of so many coaching centres, and students taking tuitions, the
results have not been so good.
Dr Prabhakar, a psychiatrist, says,”Due
to acute competition, the students who do not fare that well get into
depression. The mothers are also prone to going into depression. The student’s life becomes a drudgery and his performance worsen. The
education system should pay more emphasis on vocational training. An
average student is in a quandary as to what to do. Aren’t we creating a
class of unemployed and frustrated persons every year? Their ambitions,
their dreams die in the youth. They are danced the happiness that comes
along with a well paid job.”
Many educationists of the city feel that
for fun-filled parties , young people line up, but not for educational
seminars. There is no love for reading. The parents do not inculcate in
them the value of books. Professor Jaspal said,” Tell me how many
libraries have come up in the last few years in Ludhiana. The existing
libraries have definitely lesser number of students frequenting them.
Why is the study culture diminishing in the city?
Dr S. Grewal said,
“The city residents just are oblivious of the fact that there are no
IITs and IIMs in Punjab. In fact, even in neighbouring states like
Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, and further down states like
Rajasthan, there is no such prestigious educational institution. Our
children have to travel not less than 600 km to study in the famed
educational institutions located in other parts of the country. The
politicians whether Akalis or Congress just fight over petty issues.
Education is the greatest tool to tackle ignorance, poverty, health and
over population. Yet education gets low priority. Teachers, builders of
nation, are unemployed. They do not get salaries and if their home fires
are not burning, how can they teach?”
