Around 76-80 % of students in India find mathematics, more commonly known as maths, the most daunting subject. Out of all these students, most of them blame maths and hold it primarily responsible for bringing down the total grades of a student. Although many students try to take help from various methods, such as extra classes, and some even contact a maths tuition agency to get help from experienced tutors, still a surprising number of students either fail or score below-average marks in mathematics. Students worldwide have an irrational fear of maths. Yet, ironically almost 90-95% of students opt for maths in their higher studies curriculum despite having the option to drop it. This can be credited to the fact that almost every college in India requires students to study mathematics till the highest possible level of schooling, namely standard 11th and 12th,to secure admission in any available course.
Flaws in the education system
Universities in India that provide affordable and quality education mandate aspirants seeking admissions to have studied mathematics until the very end of standard 12th to be eligible for admissions. Even courses in art or literature require students to explore maths in high school. This is a highly unfair practice since mandating maths for access in systems that do not revolve even remotely around the field of mathematics wastes a student’s time and creates unnecessary pressure on students. While some students find ally factors such as a maths tuition agency helpful, many tend to crack under pressure and drop maths. Students who do this are robbed of their chance to gain a reputed degree from a college and often mustcompromise on their education or turn to private universities with morbidly high fee structures. The reality, however, is sadly different. Most students dream of attending esteemed universities and often choose to suffer in silence rather than get the tag of a dropout or a failure. Not only does this take an immense toll on the student’s mental health and push them towards several mental disorders, including clinical depression, but it also forces students to focus on a subject irrelevant to their field rather than devoting their time to something that can prove to be helpful.
It is no secret that the education system in India is deeply flawed and time and again has faced criticism since the curriculum and significant features had remained unchanged since the pre-independence times, which is when the current system was established.