There was a time — not too long ago —

when marks were given miserly.

A 68% was a victory.

A 75% was a festival.

An 80% was a miracle.

A 90% was mythological.

Students earned marks

the way farmers earn rainfall.

Today?

Marks are given like freebies.

Like festival discounts.

Like charity.

Like political relief packages.

Like sympathy gestures.

And somewhere between these two eras,

marks stopped reflecting mastery

and began reflecting pressure.

Political pressure.

Administrative pressure.

Departmental pressure.

Parental pressure.

Placement pressure.

Even emotional pressure.

This is the quiet corruption of academic evaluation.

Not fraud.

Just erosion.

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Scene 1: The Two Report Cards

A teacher from the 1990s shows his old marksheet:

65%, 72%, 68%, 74%.

He says proudly,

“These marks meant something.”

A modern student shows hers:

89%, 94%, 92%, 96%.

She says quietly,

“These marks mean nothing.”

The numbers went up.

The value went down.

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Scene 2: The Evaluation Room Whisper

Two teachers sit with a stack of exam papers.

One says,

“Marks are too low.

Parents will complain.”

The other says,

“Give them a few extra.

Management wants good results this year.”

They both sigh.

Not proudly.

Not happily.

Just resignedly.

This is not generosity.

This is survival.

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Scene 3: The Global Parallel — US Grade Inflation

At a university in Boston,

a professor tells her colleague:

“My class average is now 95%.

Anything lower gets labelled ‘harsh grading’.”

Her colleague shakes his head:

“We are producing brilliant transcripts

and average thinkers.”

Grade inflation isn’t an Indian problem.

It’s a global pandemic.

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Scene 4: The Punished Student

A young student challenges a teacher respectfully.

She asks for clarity, for feedback, for fairness.

The teacher feels threatened.

Her marks drop mysteriously.

In the underbelly,

power hides inside the red pen.

And students know.

And students fear.

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Why Does Grade Inflation Happen?

1. Colleges want good “Pass Percentages”

A college with low results looks incompetent.

So marks rise to protect reputation.

2. Private institutions want happy parents

Parents are customers.

Customers demand satisfaction.

Satisfaction comes with high grades.

3. Teachers avoid conflict

It is easier to give 70 than defend 55.

4. Administrators want “smooth semesters”

Low marks create appeals, complaints, confrontations.

High marks create peace.

5. Departments want uniformity

If one teacher gives 90

and another gives 60,

the second becomes “the problem.”

6. Political / local pressure

In some places,

a failed student can mean a call from someone “important.”

Safety wins.

Integrity loses.

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Why Does Favoritism Happen?

Because evaluation is a deeply human act.

And humans are influenced — sometimes subtly, sometimes obviously — by:

• personal bias

• proximity

• ego

• conflict

• gratitude

• sympathy

• flattery

• power imbalance

A teacher may say they are objective.

But the underbelly knows differently.

Some students get soft corners.

Some get cold shoulders.

Some get extra marks.

Some get mysteriously low marks.

Not because of competence.

But because of chemistry.

This is academic inequality hidden behind numbers.

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Scene 5: The Staff Room Truth Nobody Admits

A senior teacher whispers:

“Some students get marks for performance.

Some get marks for politeness.”

Another replies:

“And some get marks because we want peace.”

Peace is the most expensive academic commodity.

And marks are the currency used to buy it.

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Who Benefits From This? (The Quiet Chain)

1. Institutions

High results → high admissions → high revenue → high rankings.

2. Administrators

Smooth semesters → fewer complaints → easier audits → nicer meetings.

3. Teachers

Less conflict → fewer appeals → less paperwork → less scrutiny.

4. Students (temporarily)

High marks → better transcripts → easier placements → happier parents.

5. Society?

No benefit at all.

Because inflated marks create:

• underprepared graduates

• unemployable degree holders

• misplaced confidence

• unrealistic expectations

• weak fundamentals

• surviving without learning

The system wins.

The student loses.

The country pays.

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Scene 6: An Employer’s Frustrated Voice

A recruiter from Bangalore says during a campus visit:

“Your students have 90% marks.

But their skills are 50%.”

A senior faculty member replies softly,

“We know.”

This is the saddest line in the underbelly:

Everyone knows.

Nobody changes anything.

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The Emotional Underbelly

Teachers aren’t villains.

They are pressured.

Cornered.

Exhausted.

Afraid of conflict.

Squeezed by policy.

Micromanaged by administration.

Judged by parents.

Scrutinised by departments.

Students aren’t villains either.

They just want to survive the system.

Institutions aren’t villains.

They just want to look good.

The villain is the incentive structure.

The evaluation system is designed to reward inflation —

and punish honesty.

And humans follow incentives,

not ideals.

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Underbelly Essence

Grade inflation and favoritism are not academic failures.

They are academic adaptations.

When the system pressures teachers to please,

teachers inflate.

When the system pressures institutions to perform,

institutions inflate.

When the system pressures students to succeed,

students expect inflation.

Marks have become marketing.

Exams have become optics.

Results have become negotiations.

Mastery has become the casualty.