Greatest Achievement in Life?

Photos: Prabir Das

In this part of the world, there are two kinds of people.

Those who have achieved GPA(Grade Point Average) 5 in their Secondary School Certificate exam and those who did not.

The first set of people is the privileged ones. Right now they are the country's biggest breakout stars. The moment they accomplish 5 - the most desired number in their life - they reserve a number of things for themselves: the best looking and tasting sweets in the sweetshop, the biggest hugs, smiles, appreciation and a special space on the front page of newspapers. Victory signs? Sure, that's their patented property. We, the reporters, will be found running around hastily with our microphones and notebooks to learn how many hours they studied, and the 'formula' that makes them such 'achievers'. Or we hound them with questions like, “What do you want to be in your life?” (Read: Do you want to be a doctor or an engineer?)  And some of them would answer bhalo manush hote chai ('I want to be a good person'- a great byte for newspapers). Their overzealous parents know the answers better than them. These young crème de le crème of the lot have worked hard and have achieved success. Sure, they deserve every bit of the attention. No one really cares if they actually know what GPA even stands for, (because according to a reliable source, many of them actually don't).

The first group also has a subset, one that we lovingly call golden GPA 5 achievers. A GPA 5 or A+ is when a student averages 80 percent in his scores, even if he does not get 80+ in every subject. But when someone does score 80 percent in all subjects, they automatically get promoted in a higher stratum that is golden in colour (for our obsession with gold) and something that officially does not exist. These students and their parents are on the top of the world. The best spots in the best educational institutes of the country are reserved for them. Just look at the number of things you have confirmed by getting A+ in every subject - higher education, scholarships, good job, respect, admiration - you have everything. Show this to your parents and ask for more sweets.

Then comes the second set of students, those who don't receive any of this, because they did not get GPA 5. What is their grade? We don't care. All we care about is GPA 5 stamped on students' foreheads. These 'non-achievers' are the photographers' favourites though, as their crying faces can be captured and published on the front page, side by side with the 'V sign' holders. But the reporters don't like them much, to be honest. They won't ever ask these students what they want to become in their life. You don't have GPA 5 and no one cares about what you want to do with their life - it is as harsh as it sounds.

The problem is that not only does a student's life revolve around their GPA, every other stakeholder in the process - our school authorities, education board, education ministry - each one of them is also some sort of GPA fanatic. The number of GPA 5 holders is ever increasing, and we want to believe that this inflation indicates that the quality of our education is improving. We will happily go the extra mile by coming up with complicated looking pie charts and graphs that determine school rankings based on GPA 5 holders. But let's keep our mouths shut about how the education system is crumbling with this GPA 5 addiction. Let's keep mum regarding the 'liberal', sometime irrational markings, or question paper leaks, or the amount of stress that this whole myth of GPA 5 is creating in our life and the lives of our children. This never ending competition and comparison between who is better and who is not goes on and on - between eight education boards, between schools and neighbourhoods and unfortunately, sometimes between siblings and friends! Every year we report 'significant' increase in GPA 5. Who cares about quality education? We present more numbers and percentages. More charts and graphs. More news on some people's achievements and other people's miseries.

But newsflash! There is a third group. A group that I love - the one who simply don't understand this brouhaha about GPA. The flashy, colorful infographics and pie charts do not really make any difference in their lives. I wasn't sure that they existed in reality, until one of my friends shared her maid's son's result with us. The following morning of the SSC result, her maid, who has been working for her for years now, reached her home, a bit late than the usual, with a box full of sweets and a bright extended smile on her face.

She opened the box infront of her and even before my friend asked what the occasion was, she said shyly, “Amar pola GPA paise (My son got GPA)”.

She said GPA- that's it. No mention of numbers. No mention of gold or bronze. I loved the way she unknowingly disregarded this whole dynamics of GPA 5, the one that determines who is better and who is not. She was happy with her son's academic success without even looking at the grade sheet. She had valid, practical reasons to become happy.

What our education system has failed to teach us, her ignorance has.

And in our households where our children get emblazoned with GPA 5 and where they don't hesitate to contemplate ending their lives if they don't get it, ignorance of GPA is bliss. It truly is.