Nobonita Chowdhury
With increased pressure on studies both at school and at private tuition centres, it is not surprising to see so many high schoolers dropping out of conventional schooling. Something like homeschooling which is supposed to be rare has now become a norm. No one reacts with surprise when they find out that a person is a private candidate for a major school leaving examination. Of course, choosing to take your board examinations as a private candidate does come with added bonuses. But question is: Are the advantages worth the drawbacks?
Private candidates do enjoy a number of benefits in comparison to conventional candidates. For instance, they do not have to wake up at six a.m. for school, sit for class tests all year long and adhere to a strict dress code. Furthermore, several private candidates register for their board exams with schools like Oxford and ESS and take out fake transcripts. This means that they can choose the kind of academic performance they wish to show colleges (universities), especially when applying abroad.
Being able to manipulate their academic performance on transcripts gives these students a huge advantage when applying overseas. In countries like the United States where academic performance and SAT scores are the chief determinants of college admission, it is only natural that the applicant with a better academic record would get in.
In this aspect, one would imagine that private candidates would have the upper hand when applying abroad. But is this really fair to students who have decided to take the traditional approach to schooling? They toil all year long, enduring a combination of both school examinations and tests at private tuition centres. If their chance of admission to a particular university is revoked because of a private candidate with a forged transcript, then this country has truly become a sad place for high school students.
Furthermore, high school is supposed to be the best years of your life. It is a combination of detentions, schoolwork, and being rowdy and mischievous with your friends (not necessarily in that order). After all, getting in trouble together is also a thrilling experience. When you’re being homeschooled, you miss out on all of that. What about graduation? Would you not want a proper graduation with your friends and foes?
If we could be homeschooled from kindergarten onwards, then why did our parents send us to school? It is not just because of the academics.
At school you learn to cohabitate; and no, I do not mean it in an intimate sense. You learn to mix with people your age, and co-operate your differences. Sure, you do become friends with people at private tuition centres, but the environment is still different.
At school, students are forced to endure each other’s company for five hours straight, if not more. Furthermore, the amount of bonding that takes place during a lunch break at school cannot be replaced by any private tuition centre.
Therefore, while it may seem convenient in a lot of ways, I personally believe that the drawbacks of being a private candidate outweigh the benefits. Whether one chooses to be a private candidate or go through conventional schooling is entirely up to them. After all, it is their freedom of choice.
But I would suggest students to think about it thoroughly before making that choice. Would you be okay with missing out on four years of high school life? Are you sure that you won’t regret it later? Make sure that you’re absolutely confident about your decision.