Rayees Ahmad Kumar
The Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) announced the much-awaited results of both Class 10 and Class 12 on the same day—14 January 2026. The examinations had concluded in the last week of December 2025. Remarkably, the Board initiated the evaluation of answer scripts immediately, without waiting for the completion of the final paper as per the date sheet. As a result, the target of declaring the results was achieved well before the stipulated deadline.
In fact, the results could have been announced even a week earlier, but the vacant chair of the Chairman caused a slight delay. The post was filled just a day before the declaration through an interim arrangement. It is pertinent to mention that Shantmanu (IAS), the former Chairman of the Board, had superannuated on the last day of 2025. Meanwhile, the government has constituted a committee comprising Commissioner-Secretary–level officers from five departments to search for a suitable candidate to head this prestigious academic institution. JKBOSE is entrusted with conducting examinations for Classes 10, 11, and 12, besides teacher-education courses, and also with prescribing textbooks from the primary to the higher secondary level.
Initially, internet congestion due to heavy traffic on the Board’s website caused inconvenience to students and parents alike, who struggled to access the results. However, once the issue was resolved, social media platforms were flooded with success stories from across the Valley. Students securing 490+ marks were interviewed extensively; their reactions were sought, and their achievements were glorified—often with exaggeration—creating an impression as though they had conquered all of life’s toughest challenges and needed to strive no further.
A glance through the day’s social-media bulletin revealed several inspiring and heart-warming stories. Two cousin sisters from Chittergull village in Ganderbal secured top positions. A girl student from Chee village in Anantnag achieved a perfect score without any coaching assistance. Some students studying in tin-shed like homes brought laurels by qualifying with flying colours. A girl student cracked the examination while admitted to an ICU; a cancer patient, despite battling illness, passed with distinction. The list is long and cannot be accommodated in a brief write-up.
However, alongside these bright performances were some disturbing and unfortunate stories that received little to no attention from social-media handlers. A student from Doda district, upon learning that he had to reappear in one subject, took the extreme step of ending his life instead of accepting the result. Some students who failed to secure high scores were reprimanded and humiliated by their parents, leaving them with no reason to celebrate even their success.
In such alarming situations, one is compelled to ask: Is scoring high marks the only measure of achievement? Is this the sole criterion for celebration? Should students who perform poorly not be encouraged so that they may excel next time? These questions demand serious reflection, especially in view of the growing trend of celebrating only “perfect scores.”
For students who could not perform well this time, there is no reason to lose hope, because:
1. Marks measure memory, not intelligence
At this stage, it is evident that marks and intelligence share little correlation. Marks largely reflect one’s ability to memorise concepts, definitions, and summaries and reproduce them in examinations. They indicate hard work, memory power, and the urge to score high, but intelligence and conceptual clarity go far beyond numerical scores.
2. Good marks do not guarantee intelligence, and low marks do not define a student’s potential
Marks and intelligence are unrelated. History is replete with examples of students who performed poorly in board examinations but later qualified national-level competitive exams and today occupy respectable positions. Figures like Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Rabindranath Tagore, and many others prove that low marks never reflect true potential. Dedication, perseverance, and hard work are the real keys to success.
3. Marks are temporary; character and intelligence last a lifetime
High scores may be remembered for a few weeks, months, or perhaps a year. With time, no one asks about marks. What endures are intelligence and character—qualities that earn lifelong respect and recognition. Intelligent individuals adapt to situations and face life’s challenges with vigour and resilience, while strong character commands dignity and admiration. Marks fade away, but character and intellect remain enduring assets.
