Why Are Studies Boring?

Why don’t children find studies interesting?

Is it because they are lazy?

Because, being children, they don’t understand the “worth” of studies?

Because the teachers don’t teach in an interesting manner?

Or is there something else — something more fundamental — that we’re overlooking?

Let’s find out.

When I was in school, there were always 3–4 kids in my class who consistently scored good marks in almost every subject, except maybe drawing.

The teachers used to praise them, and tell all of us to learn from their hard work and dedication.

For a long time, our schools have associated excellence with academics.

Your academic performance becomes the sole criterion to judge whether you’re intelligent, sincere, and hardworking.

But here’s the thing: academics is just one field. There are other fields too: sports, music, art, craft, caregiving, leadership.

And just like some students are excellent in academics, others might be excellent in these areas.

But they don’t get enough space to explore their interests, especially in schools that are obsessed with academics.

Sachin (name changed), a 20-something man working in a corporation, once told me he wanted to learn music beyond the basic coursework when he was in school.

But his teacher dismissed the idea almost immediately.

“Maybe because I wasn’t good at English. My school was partial to certain students,” he said, when I asked why his teacher was so dismissive.

Also Read: Difference is Natural, Exclusion is Not

This kind of academic obsession has caused deep and lasting damage, both to students and to society.

Many students never get to explore what they’re truly good at.

They grow up doing something they don’t enjoy, just to fit into a mould they were never meant for.

And society?

It misses out on the contributions of people whose talents could have helped in so many ways.

Just like we need excellent doctors, engineers, bureaucrats, and managers, we also need excellent sportspersons, artists, craftspeople, caregivers, and leaders.

The lack of enough motivated people in these fields has created challenges we’ve simply accepted as normal.

Like how India struggles to win even 10 medals at the Olympics. Like the lack of proper caregiving infrastructure for children, the elderly, or bedridden people.

So what’s the way out?

Experts have suggested many policy changes to fix the education system.

Some have been implemented too.

But at Diss Advantage, we believe the foundation of any real change is a shift in attitude.

Schools must recognise that every child is different, and must be nurtured accordingly.

Instead of treating academically struggling children as failures, schools need to understand the limits of the system itself, and help every child find their real potential.

Even a word of encouragement or reassurance can go a long way in boosting a child’s confidence.

And this shift in attitude doesn’t require funding, approval, or permission.

It only requires the understanding that:

difference is normal. exclusion is not. 

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