Boards

There is a certain 3 letter abbreviation around with many, many lives revolve: SSC.

The secondary school certificate - also known as matriculation - is the proof of having completed 10 years of schooling. Adminstered by the State Board of Education - these 'board exams' are the bane of many a young life.

For over 1.5 million students across the state - today is the big day - as the first written exam papers will be given out and the first pens will start putting their marks on the papers. The pressures to succeed are immense, driving a huge economy of coaching-classes, study aid materials - and an underground economy of leaked papers....

Enoch and Asha's school is one of the 3500 odd examination centres. Enoch is happy - he has a holiday this morning. Yesterday evening the papers will have arrived under armed police guard - and this morning a huge throng of students from many Thane schools will descend on the school, hall tickets in hand - and will be assigned a particular desk at which they will write their answers.

We know four students intimately who are among the 1.5 million - Joash, Sanjay, Katherine and Joshua. Each one so different. Each one so precious. As they (and their families) go through this rite of passage our prayers go with them.

Sadly - for some - this year's exams will carry with it such crushing expectations that a girl here and a boy there will end their life. The papers will carry the story - a picture of a sobbing mother, a few somber students will be shown - but the system will roll on.

Our Asha has completed 2 of the 10 years. She is already a 1/5 of the way towards the SSC (if the Lord tarries - and we are still in Maharashtra of course...). Would that she and Enoch go through these years actually learning, and growing rather than fearing a 'terminal exam.'