Rote learning or mugging would never help anyone in actual learning. Those who follow this pattern of study in their initial schooling years, find it difficult later to cope up as the syllabus keeps expanding. Education should be to seek knowledge and not marks. "Sadly, education, today, has become a business. The concept of coaching classes came into being initially to guide the students from the commerce stream as it was a total different branch of learning. Gradually, the coaching classes were extended to teaching science and now even arts students attend them in large numbers - in every student's so called pursuit to excel and top," says Lakshya Kumar Jha, a first year student of MBBS at Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC).
The habit of attending coaching classes is becoming an addiction across India and prominent states have fallen prey to this unhealthy practice. "But dedication is better than addiction," feels 18-year-old Lakshya who set an extraordinary trend with his own example by refusing to join coaching classes and instead, studying on his own.
"Lakshya was a bright student right from childhood. But like others, he too used to mug as a kid. But as he grew up he realised that mugging won't help him to apply the concepts at competitive levels. He decided to learn on his own when he was in class 8 in Ranchi," shares father Triloknath Jha. Lakshya proved himself in SSC by coming first in school and whole of Ranchi. Lakshya was declared as the student of the year (2014-15) in Ranchi. The next year, he studied in Dempo HSS in Goa, where he was again the student of the year.
"Students like Lakshya are rare. We felt proud to have him in our higher secondary school and the faculty was more than happy to offer him guidance during his XI and XII," states principal Rupa Khope, DCT's Vasantrao Dempo Higher Secondary School of Science, Commerce and Arts, Cujira, Goa. Lakshya stood first in std XI and bagged a prize. He was felicitated by the Chief Minister of Goa, Manohar Parrikar in std XII.
Lakshya always topped - be it studies or quizzes. He believed that apart from intellect, hard work and dedication pays. Education should aim at making better human beings with moral values and principles. "This does not seem to happen in coaching classes where entrance exam is taken to allow only bright students to enrol. So the coaching is given to bright students and not for those average ones who actually need the coaching. Bright students don't need coaching, they will anyway perform," points out Lakshya who answered Akaash entrance exam in Ranchi in SSC just to test himself. He found, at all India level in ANTHE 2014, his rank was 933.
"I was offered scholarship which I denied as I had answered the entrance exam only to judge where I stand," says Lakshya. When he joined Dempo HSS where he caught the attention of the principal and teachers who were impressed to seeing his determination of not joining any extra coaching class. They supported his decision and extended their help and guidance.
After returning home at 2 pm his self-study began at 4 pm and continued till 11 pm. "What was taught in class, I revised on a daily basis! On Sunday, I revised what was taught during the week and on the last day of the month I revised what was taught in the month. If there was a vacation, I revised what was taught until then. Following this strategy for board exams I felt it was easy to answer them," explains Lakshya.
How did he prepare himself? Parallel to his studies from school classroom, he also studied daily the same portion from the competitive books. This prepared him to answer the board exams and the competitive exams. ETOOS India offers free coaching online, where he took a free crash course and got the gist of the pattern of the paper.
He had 18 years AIPMT question papers which he solved as if it was his exam day. He gave marks and assessed himself. "I went back to textbook, saw what I had missed and studied that again. Khope ma'am advised me to switch off the fan while answering these papers. ‘Let the sweat pour, it will prepare your body and mind to answer in worst circumstances,' she had said. And she was so right. It actually happened at my exam centre in Vasco. The electricity went off while I was answering. But I was cool," smiles Lakshya who passed with flying colours - with 97, 98, 99, 100 in PCMB respectively and stood 20th in Goa in NEET.
Lakshya enjoys teaching himself. "Believe me; teaching is the best way to learn. I taught myself. I looked at the wall and considered it was me. When you know a concept well, you can teach it to others. This is interactive study method. There is no pressure, no stress. I will develop a similar strategy for my medical studies too," adds Lakshya whose ultimate goal, after becoming a doctor, is, to start a self-sustaining hospital.
