Mark Sheet Value or Holistic Success

Every parent, nowadays, want that their child should score good, that is 95%, which means that today MSV  (mark sheet value) is more than 90%. Now it is clearly understood that scoring 95% requires more efforts and more time than scoring 55% and that is why if you look at the schedule of today’s students – they spend 8 hours in school, minimum 1 hour in coaching institute, then school homework 1 hour, they give 1 hour to revise school work and 1-2 hour to revise whatever is being taught at coaching institute, put together these are 15 hours minimum if they want to score 95%. This means that 15 hours they require for studying and 8 hours of sleep, therefore which means that they spend around 23 hours like this and how many hours are actually in the day? 24 hours! Out of which 23 hours are already gone in just scoring these 95% and now in that remaining 1 hour the child has to do all the basic necessities i.e bathing, eating food, roaming here and there, going out on vacation, meeting friends or working on any of their hobbies or if the parents wants their child to learn about the society, culture, community or if any other skill apart from academics which needs to be developed. So for all these things how much time is left with the child? Only 1 hour! Then can any one of these qualities be developed ?

Many people, despite not having high academic qualifications, have achieved great success in life. For instance, Dhirubhai Ambani, Amitabh Bachchan, and Sachin Tendulkar are shining examples of individuals who have excelled in their fields without formal degrees. Similarly, you may know people in your own family, friends, or surroundings who, despite lacking academic qualifications, have gained significant fame and recognition.

Interestingly, in India, around 95% of top businessmen are not highly qualified in academics but are doing exceptionally well in their fields. On the other hand, there are individuals who are academically brilliant—some even gold medalists in their subjects—yet struggle to achieve the success they desire. Many are stuck in frustrating, unfulfilling jobs despite their impressive qualifications. This is a reality faced by about 99% of the youth in India today. These students may earn high grades, but those grades don’t necessarily translate into the success they hoped for.

This raises an important question: what truly defines 100% success?

  

 To build a pyramid, more space is required at the base. Pyramids are considered one of the strongest structures, as they aren’t even affected by earthquakes. This strength is due to their design—broad at the base and narrow at the top. Because of this balanced structure, pyramids are extremely stable and nearly indestructible.

Similarly, a child’s development should mirror the strength of a pyramid. How is this possible? By approaching education in the same way as building a pyramid. If you look closely at a pyramid, you’ll notice that where it is broadest, more attention is required in a child’s life. This means that the foundational skills at the base of the pyramid are more important than the ones at the top. The skills at the bottom need the most focus, while the ones at the top, although still important, are secondary in comparison.

The most critical skill at the base is “Behavioral Skill Development,” while the least critical, placed at the top, is “Academic and Marks Development.” The interesting point is that even if you remove the top of the pyramid, the structure remains strong, and in the same way, you can still succeed in life without placing primary importance on marks and academics.

However, in India, parents have flipped this pyramid. They focus primarily on academic achievements and marks, giving the least attention to other essential skills like behavior and emotional development. As a result, children grow with a focus only on academics, and despite numerous efforts, many fail to achieve true success in life because the foundation is not strong.

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