The classroom has become a testing ground where intelligence is judged through one narrow lens. Like asking a fish and a horse to race up a tree, the system rewards only one kind of ability, while quietly dismissing all others. Achievement has overshadowed development, turning learning into a mechanical task rather than a meaningful journey.
“The problem is not competition itself,” he explains, “but the way we have institutionalised it. When the same standards are applied to every child, regardless of talent, background, or learning style, we are essentially setting up many to feel like failures,” Educationist Prof. R.K. Mishra agrees that the system has drifted dangerously from its original purpose.
Experts refer to it as the "new report card"; they term it a growing epidemic of stress, anxiety, and burnout characterized by sleepless nights, panic attacks before exams, fear of disappointing parents, and general self-doubt becoming common. For example, many students study for marks instead of knowledge, convinced that this type of pressure is normal. The cost is consequentially very real: declining curiosity, diminishing happiness, and a shrinking sense of self-worth.
The problem deepens the instant competition starts to feel like a cage. Every child is learning differently, but the system demands they excel in identical ways. The result is not very different from putting a fish and a horse into a race up a tree-the one least suited will be called a failure, even though he was simply never built for that race.
As it is, the system today rewards the ability to memorize rather than understand. Achievement has overshadowed development. Researcher Dr. Neha Kapoor, who studies academic stress among adolescents, highlights how comparison begins at home and intensifies at school. “Students tell us they fear their parents’ reactions more than their exams,” she says. Familiar questions such as “What did others score?” or “Why aren’t you at the top?”—though often well-meaning—leave deep emotional scars. Meanwhile, social media and school notice boards display only toppers and medals, never the panic attacks, burnout, or self-doubt behind them. The reality, experts argue, is that while marks may open doors to college, it is confidence, creativity, and emotional wellbeing that prepare a child for life.
“When the pressure is replaced with encouragement, we see remarkable change,” notes educator Sharmila Banerjee. “Students begin to ask questions, explore their interests, and take ownership of their learning. They grow not just academically, but as individuals.”
This is often a comparison culture that begins at home. Students say they are more afraid, not of the exam paper, but of seeing the reactions that follow. Familiar questions—“What did Sharmaji’s son score?” “Why aren’t you in the top five?” “Your cousin is preparing for IIT—what about you?”—though they might spring from a well-intentioned place, leave emotional scars. Platforms flash medals, certificates, and toppers-not breakdowns, failures, or struggles that go behind them.
Take away the pressure, add encouragement, and the change is amazing. Pupils get confident, creative, and autonomous in their learning. Interests get developed, questions flow, problems get solved, and learning gets taken ownership of. Marks may get a child into college, but personal growth helps them build a life. Perhaps, as India stares at the growing wave of student stress, now is a good time to redefine what success actually means.
