Young minds, many dreams, one ideal

T-Mag Wednesday 30/May/2018 13:56 PM
By: Times News Service
Young minds, many dreams, one ideal

"I am happy that the hard work that I have put in along with my parents and my teachers has paid off. I think you must enjoy what you are doing because then studies don’t become a chore,” said Aliva Das, a science stream student of Indian School Muscat, when asked about the secret of her success in the recently declared CBSE Grade 12 results. CBSE or the Central Board of Secondary Education is a national level board of education in India and Aliva Das has topped in Oman in the Grade 12 CBSE board examination. Along with Aliva there are few other students who have equally worked hard to reach to the top ranks thus proving the oft-repeated words of Thomas Edison right. ‘There is no substitute for hard work.” **media[881610]** It is a lesson some of Oman’s finest students seemed to have picked up quite quickly: Aliva Das and Sneha Sarkar have both made their alma mater, Indian School Muscat (ISM), very proud, by topping not just the school’s list, but scoring the highest marks in the science and humanities streams for the Grade 12 CBSE exams across all of Oman, the results for which were announced recently. While science buff Aliva scored an amazing 98.6%, Sneha, who has always gravitated towards the humanities, posted an exemplary 96.4%, marks matched by Indian School Wadi Kabir’s (ISWK) Jobin Jacob, the Oman topper for the commerce stream. Achieving the best grades in an examination that is touted as the toughest in a student’s life isn’t easy by any means. Years of hard work, sticking to disciplined study routine, and eliminating all possible distractions are some of the secrets of their success. For a student there’s always this sense of trying to do too much in too little time in school. Along with those bulky schoolbags crammed with books or as may be the case among others, a locker so crammed with books, that if you were to stack them one on top of the other, they would actually rival a small skyscraper. And that’s only the physical burden. Let’s not forget the mental pressure these children are under. There’s a constant bombardment of stress from more than one corner. Whether it’s parents, tutors or teachers, everyone’s breathing down these young students’ necks and constantly looking over their shoulders in the fervent hope that they will succeed. You can expect the pressure to ratchet up significantly during the exams, which are more than just a trying time for everyone. What matters, though is how you deal with it, and to not let it get to you. Banish the ghosts of that pressure, though, and you will always be successful. And while we rejoice the success stories of the toppers, there are many parents and students who feel that the current curriculum followed by CBSE depends more on rote learning that does more harm than good. Speaking on this a parent said that the current trend of inflated grades have also created unrealistic goals in the minds of students. “Getting 90 per cent and above has become so common. I feel that’s not the right way. Also it is not possible to assess a student and his educational skills through the same gradation system,” he said. Raising concerns on this issue a teacher from one of the Indian Schools said that unfortunately the current system followed by the CBSE curriculum teaches students to cram more and learn less. “What many people do is study for quite a long time, but they are not really focused on what they are learning. I think that one hour of studying is much better than just sitting with your books for seven or eight hours,” said Aliva. “I advise children to take up subjects they are passionate about, because then you are doing what you care for, and if you do that, it’ll be much easier to do well,” she added. **media[881612]** Sneha added: “Before my exams, I cut myself off from social media. I did not go anywhere and I sat at home to study. I also completed my SAT entrance exams side by side. I finished all of that and ensured I had nothing to do after my exams. It was really difficult to juggle all of these, but I think it paid off in the end. Many people think that because you have taken humanities, you don’t have many career options, but you have a lot of openings now, if you are creative. Keep studying and it’ll take you somewhere.” Shravani Garmella wasn’t far behind her schoolmates. She topped ISM’s commerce stream with 95.6%. “It feels quite overwhelming, but I also feel there’s scope for improvement. We put so much pressure on ourselves for our board exams, but I don’t think I had to make many sacrifices, because my friends were as motivated as I was. Since then, I’ve been doing whatever I’ve been meaning to but have been unable to for the past two years.” **media[881611]** While it was only understandable for these students to be nervous with their impending board exam results on the horizon, ISWK’s Jobin, who emerged as the Oman topper for the commerce stream, was worried about two other things that were very close to his heart. “The results were being announced on Saturday, but before that I kept wondering if my parents would let me watch the Champions League final that night, if I didn’t get good marks. Real Madrid is my favourite team, but how could I support them if I didn’t do well in my exams? The Indian Premier League final was also on Sunday, and I really wanted to watch Chennai Super Kings play. I kept wondering how I could have done so well after studying for just two hours every day, but I was once told, ‘you may be a snake without a rattle, you may be a duck without a waddle, you may be a horse without a saddle, but in the end, you have to fight your own battle’ and I am glad that I did so well in the end.” **media[882190]** As expected, many of these students have already begun preparations for the next step of their lives in earnest. K. S. Suraaj, who led Indian School Ghubra’s Grade 12 results with 97.2% in the science stream, has already returned to India to sit for his entrance exams. “Suraaj was always more concerned about the entrance exam, because that was his priority,” said his father, Suresh Kannan. “He has already given the exam for BITS Pilani, and his results mean he can get into any stream of his choice over there, but his plan has always been to enter the Indian Institute of Technology. He has already written the Joint Entrance Exam and he is waiting for the results. I have to say that my wife is the one who has guided him, because she is always there to provide support when he needs it, and I just offer advice.” **media[881609]** Away from the capital city of Muscat, Indian School Mabela were sending their first batch of senior students to write their Grade XII exams. Aashna Fareen, with 84.2%, led the way. “Because it was our first batch of students, I am very proud and very honoured to have topped, but this would not have happened without the prayers of my teachers and parents, because they did a lot to help us study,” she explained. “My teacher told us to dedicate one hour for every subject, half an hour for English and Computer Studies, and that is what helped us in the end. They were always on hand to answer any doubts, whatever time of the day we called them, and were also willing to offer advice, if the pressure of the exams was too much; so, this is something all of us are grateful for.” **media[882189]** Toppers from across schools Indian School Muscat Science Aliva Das (98.6%) Tanvi Shekhar (96.6%) Rochelle Fernandez (96.2%) Commerce Shravani Garmella (95.6%) Drashtee Mistry (94.8%) Nagaramy Sedimbi and Rhea Bhatia (94%) Humanities Sneha Sarkar (96.4%) Akshaya Pavanje (96.2%) Zeta Pereira (94.6%) Indian School Ghubra Science KS Suraaj (97.2%) Prerna Ravi (96.6%) Vyshnav Nair and Ananya Ananthan (96.4%) Commerce Vidhika Shah (94.8%) Aditya Kamath and Unnati Ashar (94.6%) Brian Thadikaran (93.8%) Indian School Wadi Kabir Science Vaidehee Thakur (96.8%) Aswin Muraleedharan (96.6%) Nikitha Alex (96.4%) Commerce Jobin Jacob (96.4%) Arya Sudheer and Suhana Mohammed (95.6%) Shreya Nair, Sandhra Tomley and Sredha Suresh (95%) Indian School Muladha Science Saif Alam (94.6%) Rohan Ullas (94%) Maham Asif (92.6%) Commerce Mohsina Firdous (93.4%) Devika Chandra (92.6%) Althaf Mohammed (92.6%) Indian School Sohar Science Manas Vegi (98.4%) Tanya Kumar (96%) Amal Jaleel (95.2%) Commerce Nabheen Sobhan (86.6%) Aakanksha Reu (84.2%) Sohail Ahmed (84%)