Sunday Times, page 7, 24 Jan 10 – ‘No gaps in SSC, HSC exams give students sleepless nights’

Was overwhelmed with a wave of frustration when I read this article and hence broke my scared rule of ‘no-working-on-Sundays’ and decided to pour all the angst into this blog.
WHEN WILL WE LEARN? WHEN?

Just when the state boards of education seemed like they were waking up from their deep deep slumber, came this news that puts them back a few hundred steps.

In life there are two types of problems; ones which are uncontrollable and others which are controllable !!  The earthquake in Haiti was uncontrollable; the rehabilitation efforts are controllable.

Having exams without breaks is CONTROLLABLE !!
How can the Board say that there is nothing they can do; I am sure they are intelligent enough to realise that physical stress is also a factor that leads to poor emotional functioning.
Haven’t they learnt anything from the many futile suicides over the past few months?  And is this how they respond?
We have seen that one of the main reasons for this extreme measure (suicide) has been academic pressure and fear of or poor academic performance and yet the Board pleads helplessness!

The Education Secy says that it is ‘too late’ to change the timetable; I would agree! It is indeed too late….. for the Education Board; we anyway had little faith in you and the steps that you take are in no way helping you change that view.