About the Book
A child is always so much more than a mark.
Every year, millions of Indian children are told the same lie: that a single number decides their worth.
By Class 6, they trade the classroom for the coaching centre. By eighteen, one exam will rank them for life. And when the rank doesn't come, too many conclude there is nothing left to be.
But what if the problem was never the child — and always the system?
You Are Not Your Marks is a clear-eyed look at how competition broke Indian education: the coaching factories, the rote learning that kills curiosity, the handful of premium institutes that left everything else behind, and a human cost we have stopped counting. It is also a way out — a practical blueprint to rebuild learning around curiosity, capability, and a life worth living.
For every student who has felt like a failure, every parent who has worried late into the night, and every teacher and policymaker who knows we can do better, one truth runs through these pages: a child is always so much more than a mark.
"Education is not about a degree, a placement, information, or a package. It can be all of these — to a degree. But education is beyond this. It is about how to live life, and to empower you to make your life happier."
— The thesis of this bookWhat's Inside
- Introduction: A Letter Before the Argument — the story of one Class 6 child.
- Part One — The Diagnosis (7 chapters): coaching from Class 6, the death of the question, the human cost, the two-tier premium trap, the other cracks, research that reaches no one.
- Part Two — The Rebuild (2 chapters + closing letter): one baseline for every child; the blueprint: curiosity by design.
- Annexures: Five practical worksheets — for youth, parents & teachers, government & society, and schools.
- Signature feature: Every chapter ends with three short notes: For the Student, For the Parent & Teacher, For the Policymaker.
Why Read This Book?
1 in 85. That's the truth.
Out of every 85 students who start the IIT race, only 1 gets a seat. What about the other 84? They are not failures. The system failed them. This book is for all 85.
It names what everyone feels but nobody says
Every Indian family knows the anxiety — the Class 6 coaching enrolment, the rank lists, the child who slowly stops asking questions. The book puts evidence and language to that feeling. The system isn't failing by accident; it's a machine designed so that most must lose.
Your marks are one day. Your life is long.
This book shows why no rank can ever measure you — and that your worth was never a number to begin with.
One evening, before the lakhs
Before you pay lakhs for coaching, spend one evening with this book. Know what really helps your child win — in exams, and in life.
Not just the problem — the plan
This book doesn't just show the problem. It gives the plan — one baseline for every child regardless of pincode — plus 5 ready-to-use worksheets so you can act on it, not just agree with it.
Read it in one evening. Use it for years.
One idea per chapter. A story, the evidence, a way forward.
Convinced? Read it this weekend
Paperback available now on Amazon and Notion Press.
Front & Back Cover
At a glance
- Title: You Are Not Your Marks
- Subtitle: How Competition Broke Indian Education, and How We Rebuild It
- Author: Dr. Preetesh Anand
- Publisher: Notion Press
- ISBN: 979-8-905406-43-0
- Language: English
- Category: Education · Society · Policy
Who should read it?
- Students who have ever felt like a failure because of a number
- Parents who worry late into the night about ranks and results
- Teachers who know curiosity matters more than cramming
- Policymakers ready to rebuild the system, not blame the child
About the Author
Dr. Preetesh Anand is an entrepreneur, researcher, and author from Patna, Bihar, working at the intersection of education, innovation, and sustainable development. He holds a PhD in Sustainable Urban Development from Magadh University and an MBA in Finance and Marketing.
As Founder and Director of Oplus Cowork and the Sustainable Development Research Foundation (SDRF), and a NITI Aayog Mentor of Change under the Atal Innovation Mission, he works to foster innovation, research, and problem-solving among young people.
A UN Environment Hero (2019), World Economic Forum Global Shaper, Climate Reality Leader, and Impact Entrepreneur Award (2015) recipient, Dr. Anand believes education should nurture curiosity, character, and purpose — not just academic performance.
You Are Not Your Marks reflects that belief: education should not sort children by scores, but empower them to lead fuller, happier lives.
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