Copying : Cancer affecting the education system !

Recently it has been experienced that not only the average students but also the very brilliant students have fallen prey to the notorious custom of copying in the examination. All this copying in the exam is only for the sake of getting maximum marks. If any student is caught copying during examination, he will either lose his academic year or his life will be devastated! In fact, the custom of copying in the exam is a kind of corruption! This article is to throw some light on this aspect of corruption!

1. In our education system, copying is not only limited to the 10^thand 12^th grade exams, but it is also observed in the law faculty examinations. This means the future protectors of law themselves are involved in this theft act !

Act of copying is a chronic cancer infecting our education system. In reality, our education system is afflicted with so many incurable diseases; if compared to them, the act of copying seems to be like a common cold. But it is also true that we can’t just turn a blind eye to this shameful act of copying! Now-a-days it has been observed that copying in the exams is not restricted only to the tenth and twelfth exams, but it also happens in the law examinations! This clearly means that those people who will be our future guardians of law, are themselves involved in this theft act!

2. In the rural areas to maintain the number of students coming to the school, the trustees and the teachers of the schools secretly support their students and also make a favourable environment for them for this act of copying

In the rural areas to maintain the number of students coming to the school intact, the trustees and the teachers of the school secretly support their students and also help in creating a conducive environment for them for the act of copying. Many parents who have become hardened knowing this fact, also want copying to happen, because they want their wards to come out of this canopy of examination without having any hassles. During this time, all of them related to this situation maintain a defending attitude and prefer to keep their mouths shut and not comment on it at all. The Principal wants to keep intact his position and status in the school and the trustees want to run the school. Most of the teachers are also in sympathy with their seniors and so there isn’t much delay in spreading this notorious custom of copying to all students! At some centers, there is so much nuisance of this undeclared act of copying that many students who look forward to write examination papers fairly and pass have to suffer this nuisance in exam hall! Also they have to go through the agony of such acts. Now-a-days they have to come prepared to face such nuisance in the exam hall while appearing for the exam.

3. The erring student (one who is copying) is not the only aspect of the root of this disease, but there are many aspects,some are perceptible while others are not, involved in this act of copying

In such a situation, it is a complicated question as to how are we going to completely eradicate this evil of copying act by punishing legally those who are involved ?. A copying candidate is prepared first and then he actually dares to perform the act of copying! This helps in increasing the number of copiers. And all this gives rise to the horrible incidents like threatening the examiners and abusing them. The good and honest teachers in the examination system try to get rid of themselves from such a situation and this automatically creates a favourable environment for the copiers! This proves that the erring student is not the only one who is involved in it but also there are many aspects some of which are perceptible while others are not.

4. Nowadays we don’t find parents who say to their children,“ It’s okay even if you don’t pass your examination; but don’t you dare to pass your examination by copying and to inculcate the thought that, “I will not copy” in the minds of the students

There is a need to have such values. Actually, now-a-days we don’t find parents who tell their children, “ It is okay even if you don’t pass your examination, but don’t you dare to pass it by copying.” Neither do we find teachers who can inculcate such values in children! Those a few that are there can be considered as exceptions. Really speaking, it is the moral responsibility of the teachers to inculcate such good values in the minds of students. If teachers prepare their students thoroughly to face the examinations and develop a sense of confidence of passing in the minds of their students, then students will definitely not turn towards the cowardly act of copying. All this issue of copying sends out a signal that the knowledge imparted by the teachers is not up to the mark! The only way out of this is to strongly imbibe the virtue – “ I will not copy in the examination” – in the minds of our students and children and to prepare them for such a thought it is necessary to follow such virtues in our day-to-day life!

– Mr. Vaijanath Mahajan (Reference: Dainik tarun Bharat, 16.1.2011)