Survivorship Bias model

In the month of June 2024, three major results were declared - NEET, JKBOSE 12^th, followed by JKBOSE 10^TH. There has been much chest thumping on part of coaching institutes, schools and educators across, and social media platforms were flooded with congratulatory messages. Is our current examination system in sync with the holistic assessment of the core competencies? What actually is assessed? is still greater emphasis given to rote learning which caters the lowest levels of competencies: be it remembering or understanding . What about the higher competencies of the learning pyramid? Are the higher learning competencies such as applying, analyzing, elaborating, evaluating and creating assessed in the existing examination system?

In the existing scheme of things, these high order learning competencies are not assessed to the level they should be. If the examination system still demands a student to be pure rote-learner, how we can expect our 21^st century modern day learners to be future innovators: to mitigate the daunting challenges of 21^st century, to be co-creators of knowledge, effective communicators, inclination towards inculcation of scientific arousal etc. Our examination system still heavily relies on pen-paper test and a student is expected to vomit out the content in the stipulated time, which determines his career progression.

Survivorship bias Model: As the saying goes, success is never ending, failure is never final. But this saying goes for a toss when the mentors, coaching institutes and schools glorify the students who vomit out maximum content in the three hour pen–paper test and emerge out as meritorious. The glorification is not within the four walls of the institution; even life sized hoardings and banners are installed in public spaces to further add to the miseries of the lot that has not made the cut or have got comparatively less marks. The mentors, coaching institutes and schools never highlight the plight of under-performers  or those who have not made it to the selection list and therefore left to God’s mercy without any handholding and counseling either from the parents or from faculty members of coaching centres and schools. Lack of empathy on part of the parents, tuition centres and schools alleviate stress levels among students  already in distress, which at times compels them to commit suicide and it is there in the public domain that many student commit suicide in case they fail to qualify or obtain lower grades. The students even leave their studies in the mid way leading to high dropout rate.

The psychologically distressed children even resort to drugs, thus ruining their life and career. A coaching institute, an academy or for that matter a school, where thousands of students are toiling hard to excel in the cut throat competition facilitate survivorship bias  to remain relevant in the eyes of the public. These institutions instead of backing and rendering support to each and every student irrespective of success or failure, unfortunately rally behind the successful ones and promote and glorify  them through posters, banners, advertisement in print, electronic and social media. This glorification of selected few and disowning of larger lot is referred to as survivorship bias model.

Current examination pattern prioritizes competition over comprehension: The modus operandi of existing examination system is such that it prioritizes competition over comprehension fostering a culture of rote learning rather than comprehension. Although NEP 2020 strongly envisages holistic development of the child, be it the physical development, cognitive development, linguistic development, psycho-social wellbeing; but right from inception of the academic career, the child is subjected to intense cramming as a means to secure high marks thereby by creating a situation which is intensely competitive and stressful, which seriously compromises  his overall wellbeing. National Curricular Framework for School Education 2023 (NCFSE 2023) has to greater extent streamlined and rationalized the curriculum to accommodate diverse learning needs and interests. The existing examination system therefore must provide space to assess the domain of critical thinking, problem solving skills and real world application of knowledge over rote memorization. In fact there is need to introduce modular examination formats that allows students to demonstrate proficiency in individual subjects over an extended period. There needs to be a shift from high stakes, one-size-fits all examinations to a more nuanced assessment framework  that values continuous learning and growth and provides opportunities for formative assessment and feedback throughout the learning process to facilitate personalized learning trajectories.

The principle determinant of effective pedagogy is nature of assessment: The central provision of NEP 2020 is transition from rote memorization to attainment of age-appropriate competencies. The NEP2020 strongly advocates shifting from behavioristic model of teaching–learning to a more engaging model of constructivist approach, where in students are supposed to construct new knowledge based on prior experiences. Students can meaningfully co-construct knowledge when teacher will create a conducive learning environment. I am of firm conviction that the type of pedagogy to be employed by the teacher is strongly governed by the nature of the assessment. The transition from chalk and talk pedagogy to a more meaningful and engaging constructivist approach can only be replicated provided the examination system evaluates and assesses the student in 360⁰ approach: the holistic assessment, wherein the scholastic and no-scholastic domains are equally assessed , which in the longer run can play a pivotal role in meaningful transformation of the individual and there by contribute positively in society. In contrast, when the examination system is designed and executed in such a way that it largely revolves around assessing the rote learning or mug up of information, the teacher obviously has to align his pedagogy accordingly and there by becomes a dominant stakeholder in the teaching –learning process, leaving minimal scope for the child to imbibe the skills of creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and communication. To expect turnaround in the pedagogical domain on part of the teacher, the assessment pattern has to take into account the evaluation of all the requisite learning competencies: be it understanding, applying, analyzing, elaborating , evaluating and creating , which will certainly  go a long way in stimulating teachers to update their pedagogical skills and shun the traditional approach.

Conclusion: There is need to invest in comprehensive training programs for educators to deepen their understanding of pedagogical principles and assessment practices. Educators need to be equipped with the tools and the resources to implement learner –centered approaches and cater to diverse student needs effectively. The holistic evaluation criteria need to encompass a broader range of competencies including creativity , collaboration and emotional intelligence. Implementation of diverse and alternative assessment methods , such as portfolios , projects , and presentations to capture the multifaceted nature of student achievement . There must be a transition towards authentic, contextually relevant assessments that reflect real –world challenges and opportunities.

Dr. Mushtaq Rather is an  Educator.