Preparing for a "better" tomorrow

ICSE has decided not to listen to Kapil Sibal—they will go ahead with a board exam in Class 10 and award marks instead of grades. Essentially, no change. The board probably prefers to be transparent in their belief in competition, differentiation (bright/not so bright, lazy/hardworking, etc.), and “performance”-based rewards—all of these against a set criteria on which students have no control. After all, students are being schooled to believe that if they perform, compete, and live up to the pressures, they can be achievers. If not, what awaits them is shame and disappointment—or, the acceptance of a mediocre life.