Is India ready for exam-less education?

HRD minister Mr Sibal plans to scrap the class 10 board exams citing pressure and trauma students have to bear. It is true that it puts lot of pressure on the student when s/he enter the class 10. It is like do it now or never. Even the parents are in panic mode when their kids start board examination preparation. Media ran emotional video footage of parents crying after their kids commit suicide fearing to fail the exams. But, will scraping the exam solve the problem? and if yes, at what level. see some recent headlines in media

BSc student commit suicide after failing in exams in Kanpur,
Failing to get job, IIT student commit suicide,
Student fails class 12 exams, commits suicide,
16-year old student commits suicide fearing board exams.

This shows that the fear of exam is at every level of education and career. It is something that will continue to haunt anyone who wants to succeed or compete. If we analyse any of these case, we will find that students or their parents were not afraid of the exam itself but the results and consequences later on. When someone fails at any level s/he has to wait for another year to clear the exam again. In some cases, the student has to attend all the classes and subjects again. Even the courses one has passed. This is ridiculous and put extra burden on student to study same things again for another year. Yes, there are some boards who allow the students to take exams for only the course they have failed but the process is too slow. It still takes another year or 10 months. As a result, student can not go to next step without being late for one year.

We can not devalue our education system. It may be tough on students and difficult to compete but it is what that gives our nation strength to become knowledge center for world's leading companies. IT sector we are proud of is result of our tough education standards. It is so tough but productive that US president Obama wants US kids to match up with the kids in India and China. In the era of knowledge economy this is what nations can assert their supremacy.

We need to find a system that keeps the intrinsic value of our education system without putting undue pressure on the students, particularly who can/do not want to compete. One of solutions, I recently found is on-demand examination. Everyone who fails should have opportunity to register for on-demand exams for any subject on any date. It will take the burden of failing and missing the race from students off. Result of these exams should come within a week time so that these students do not miss any opportunity.

Off course, everything can not wait for someone who fails 10 or 20 times in these on-demand exams but it gives an opportunity to cover the losses to them who failed. For example a student who has over 90% marks in science and mathematics course but failed in language course may be given temporary admission in next class assuming that s/he will get at least minimum passing marks (33% or 40%) in the on-demand exam of that subject. This assumption will bring the overall percentage down for the moment but it is still helpful for the student to study further without missing anything.

No doubt there will be some students who will cheat the system and do not spend any time preparing for their least favourite subject and pass later on through on-demand scheme. But they can be differentiated or we may allow this cheating for greater good.