Appearing for the 10th. Milestone or YABE ? (Yet Another Boring Exam)

Freia, my elder daughter is currently appearing for her 10th exams or as they are popularly called her ICSE Board exams. All of us, except her, think it’s a milestone and are hence treating this is an especially important milestone and hence are doing something we’ve never done in her previous 11 years of school. Asking and expecting her to study.

The whole drama of the ICSE exams started more than a year ago. On August 9, 2009. On this Sunday morning, Freia and I woke up at 5.30 and went to the Sinhal’s office in Andheri East to take a token to apply for admission to their ICSE coaching classes, which would start at 8 a.m.. Because we were led to believe, like most other parents that if we weren’t there early enough, Freia wouldn’t get admission. To coaching classes that cost a fortune.

And when we got the token, we found that we were the 150th. Finally our turn came at 11 and the first step of the milestone journey was achieved. She was given admission to classes that would begin in January, even before she had completed her 9th exams. What’s interesting to note is that my friend Salil walked in May, 9 months later for admission for his daughter Vanya. Surprise, surprise. Admission was no problem at all. Yet another self serving myth propagated by the classes busted.

Freia being Freia figured out a brilliant con for her stupid parents, us. She came up with this story of how the next few years were important and stressful and therefore she needs to get away for a couple of weeks. We fell into her well laid trap, hook, line and sinker. And she came up with this trip to meet her uncles and spend quality time with them. Except that they happened to be in San Francisco and New York. So yet another fortune spent, thanks to ICSE. The fact that the trip was not reflected in enhanced study activity was like the Sinhal’s case, a myth that was busted.

She finally went to the 10th in March and once again the hype continued. In school. In her classes. And in her parents mind. Every time she wasn’t serious and we noticed, we’d give her a lecture on how important these exams are and how she should study, … Until one day after one of these by now, weekly lectures, Freia asked me a question that I considered impertinent then. How do the ICSE exams matter. Most people get admission into a school or college even before the ICSE results are declared. So how exactly do they matter ?

And I was stumped. I had no clue. She was right. The 10th exams seemed to have lost their relevance. And were definitely not a milestone or a life and death exam, that they were touted to be. They are important, just as all exams are. Nevertheless a bit of advice for Freia. It makes sense to try and do as well as one can in these exams. And I have 3 great reasons why.

1. When your kids are doing their exams, they will ask how well you did, just as you’ll ask me. Doing well will give you a right to lecture them.
2. During interview even today, employers do look at how well you fared in key exams. The 10th is one such key exam.
3. If you manage to top your school, your name comes up on the Hall of Fame. Like Jitendra Apte, my schoolmate mentioned to me yesterday. “And when I visited Holy Name, I looked up at the Board and felt good to see my name still up there. 30 years later.”