Education has become ‘marks-wadi’, rote learning must go: Pralhad Joshi

Is India's education system too obsessed with marks? Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi believes it is time for a major shift. Calling the prevailing mindset “marks-wadi”, Joshi has urged schools, students and parents to move beyond rote learning and embrace experiential education.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) Experience Centre in Dwarka on Tuesday, Joshi said excessive focus on examination scores often comes at the cost of genuine understanding, curiosity and students' individual interests.

The minister argued that education should not be limited to memorising textbooks or finding ways to score higher marks. Instead, students



must be encouraged to understand concepts, ask questions and apply their knowledge in real-life situations.

Joshi pointed to the pressure students face to perform well in examinations, saying that both the education system and anxious parents have become increasingly focused on marks.

According to the minister, this approach can leave little room for understanding a child's actual abilities, interests and learning capacity. He also linked the emphasis on memorisation and scores to the growing importance of coaching classes.

His message was clear: learning should be about understanding a subject, not simply memorising information to reproduce it in an examination.