As a student of Computer Science Engineering in India, I was thrilled about the opportunity to acquire practical skills like programming. Yet, my enthusiasm dwindled as I faced Engineering Mathematics 1, 2, 3, and 4 in the early stages of my degree. These subjects, while undoubtedly crucial to a comprehensive education, dominated the first two years of my course, leading to immense pressure and anxiety. I was not alone in this experience; many of my peers succumbed to the stress, failing multiple times and resultant gap years.

These subject areas, despite their importance, often prove irrelevant to real-world job scenarios, especially in fields centred around Computer Engineering. The undue weightage afforded by this pass/fail evaluation hampers students' progress, often leading them to lose hope and abandon their dreams. The disconnect between this rigorous theoretical training and the actual demands of the industry leads to a mismatch in skills, and ultimately, disillusioned engineers.

According to a national employability report, less than 20% of Indian engineering graduates are actually employable for software jobs. This stark reality is reflected in the stress experienced by students like me, who are boxed in by an "all or nothing" approach to subjects like Engineering Mathematics.

Therefore, we urge the education authorities to reconsider how subjects like Engineering Mathematics are evaluated. They should be perceived as a scoring subject to boost grades, rather than a make-or-break pass/fail standard. This would allow students to focus on other, more industry-aligned subjects, resulting in better learning outcomes, reduced stress levels, and ultimately, more successful engineers. We call on educators to listen to the voices of students and make changes that could save promising Engineering careers in our country. Please sign this petition, and help alleviate the burden on India's future engineers.