Syed Fayaz
The current declaration of Class 10 and Class 12 results by the Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) has initially been received with optimism and hope. The overall performance of students appeared encouraging and, for a brief moment, promised joy, pride, and relief to thousands of families across the Union Territory. Yet, this celebration proved painfully short-lived. The persistent and insensitive practice of prominently mentioning exact marks alongside grades once again transformed a moment of achievement into a source of anguish— robbing happiness not only from those who could not clear the examination, but also from a vast majority of students who had, by all standards, succeeded. Failure undoubtedly brings disappointment, and the grief of students who do not qualify is genuine and deeply human. However, what is far more disturbing is the silent suffering of students who pass but fall short of a peer, friend, or relative by a handful of marks. In such an environment, success no longer feels like success. Achievement is reduced to comparison, self-worth is measured numerically, and young minds are trapped in a relentless race of “more” and “less.” Instead of pride and confidence, many successful students are left with regret, shame, and sorrow. The tragedy deepens when we see reports of students—both unsuccessful candidates and those who merely scored fewer marks—taking the extreme step of ending their lives. These heartbreaking incidents force us to confront an uncomfortable truth: our obsession with marks is no longer just an academic issue; it has become a matter of life and death.
This reality raises a fundamental and unavoidable question: if the grading system is meant to reduce examination stress, why do we still insist on displaying marks so prominently? What purpose does this marks-centric approach truly serve in shaping a student’s future? Do a few digits genuinely reflect a child’s intelligence, creativity, resilience, or potential? Or have marks simply become an easy—but deeply flawed—tool to label, rank, and judge young learners? Ironically, this approach stands in direct contradiction to the vision laid out in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework. Across the country and indeed across the world educational reformers are calling for reduced exam pressure, competency-based assessment, and a stronger emphasis on life skills, critical thinking, and emotional well-being. Progressive systems are gradually moving towards examination-light or even examination-free models, allowing children to learn and grow at their own pace. In stark contrast, Jammu and Kashmir continues to treat marks as the ultimate indicator of merit, clinging to a system that belongs to a bygone era. The human cost of this rigidity is immense and heartbreaking. Watching young, sensitive minds buckle under the burden of marks, ranks, and comparisons is deeply painful.
“Marks in an examination are limited snapshots of performance and fail to capture a child’s true potential, character, or intrinsic value. To ensure a healthy future for both children and society, we must transition from a grade-centric mindset to an education system that prioritizes human dignity, emotional health, and genuine learning.”
No examination system, no ranking, and no scorecard can ever justify the loss of a single life. Yet, by persisting with a narrow and unforgiving evaluation framework, we continue to push students towards anxiety, depression, emotional breakdowns, and in the most tragic cases, self-harm. Equally concerning is the growing question mark over the credibility of these marks. It has often been observed that students who secure distinctions in JKBOSE examinations struggle to replicate similar performance in Union Territory-level or national-level competitive examinations, where assessment is broader, more analytical, and skill-oriented. This mismatch raises serious concerns about what these high marks actually signify. Do they reflect deep understanding and competence, or are they merely a product of rote learning and exam-oriented preparation? The crisis is further intensified by the socio-cultural environment of Kashmir, where marks are celebrated, advertised, and amplified through social media. Scorecards are shared widely, ranks are glorified, and comparisons are turned into public spectacles. For emotionally sensitive students, this digital display of “success” and “failure” acts like salt on open wounds. The psychological trauma experienced during this phase can be devastating—eroding self- confidence, disturbing emotional balance, and casting long shadows over a student’s future ambitions and mental health. The time has come to pause, introspect, and act. We must look beyond our borders and learn from states that have successfully implemented grading systems without mentioning marks, and more importantly, have raised educational standards by aligning themselves with the vision of NEP-2020.
Education should be a source of empowerment, not trauma; it should nurture curiosity, resilience, creativity, and confidence—not fear, insecurity, and unhealthy competition. Institutions such as the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) and the academic wing of JKBOSE—key pillars of academic governance—must come together urgently to reimagine the evaluation framework. What is needed is a child-friendly, comprehensive, and competency-based assessment system that values learning outcomes, skills, and holistic development over mere numerical scores. This is no longer a matter of choice or convenience; it is an urgent moral and social necessity. Students must be seen and assessed as individuals and learners, not weighed and ranked by numbers alone. Marks may reflect performance on a particular day under specific conditions, but they can never measure a child’s potential, character, creativity, or worth. If we truly wish to safeguard the future of our children and the health of our society, we must have the courage to move beyond a marks-obsessed mindset and build an education system that places human dignity, emotional well-being, and meaningful learning at its very core.
(The author is holding the position of Secondary School Principal in J&K School Education Department. The views, opinions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the author and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”)
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