Is too much emphasis placed on grades in our educational system?

‘Burning the midnight oil and racking your brains to study a subject’, has this is what education come to today in a country that prides itself of the best scientists and businessmen-India? I think so!
Unfortunately, in India, education has come to mugging up some subject matter and vomiting it in the exams without any sense of understanding. This is for the sole reason of achieving good grades, be it in school or in college. There is unnecessary pressure put on students to perform well by teachers and families. Tuitions are resorted to and exorbitant tuition fees have made middle class families alter their budget. The purpose of education that is - to impart knowledge has been lost in the midst of unhealthy competition. Little do parents and teachers realize that grades only get you a job but what gets you on top is your performance. Fear of failure and embarrassment causes students to resort to suicide, which is on the rise among the teenagers. A recent survey shows that when students are made to learn in an environment conducive to enhance their capabilities they are better performers than those who are subjects to the traditional Indian method. Only when the teaching methodology moves from text book learning into practical learning will the students perform better. Also students will learn how to live a life of character as Swami Vivekanda has rightly said, “Education is not about how to earn a living but how to live a life of character.”