It’s almost the end of tiresome exam days and results are just around the corner. There are some students who are very happy as they are anticipating handsome grades while there are students with long-drawn faces and slumped shoulders who are not looking forward to the result day as they have not fared well during their examinations.
The grade system
It’s almost the end of tiresome exam days and results are just around the corner. There are some students who are very happy as they are anticipating handsome grades while there are students with long-drawn faces and slumped shoulders who are not looking forward to the result day as they have not fared well during their examinations. They are dreading the inevitable Bs, Cs, Ds, and Es let alone F - you know, anything less than the bright, shiny A on their marksheet.
This contest of getting high grades is all around us and it has become a matter of self respect when parents challenge their own children to acquire good grades lest their young cousins outdo them. As far as I think, this competition is in a way very healthy and really motivating for students to work double tides. But, I can’t help but accept that there are more negative outcomes linked with this fierce race. Students are pressurised to win the battle of getting more marks.
Education is the basic need of today; it is the cornerstone of development in any part of the world. The process that is supposed to build a generation of creative, confident, rational and knowledgeable individuals is achieving everything except for the true essence and objectives. Needless to say, the overall mindset of society needs to be changed along with the educational system. Of course, it starts from the very basic unit of society: our homes.
One of my friends recently took an exam. I was flabbergasted to hear her mother complaining non-stop about her poor result in some subjects. Now, my friend is brainy and hardworking, and she is always among the bright students of her class! It was only after much hesitation that I asked her about her grade. Her reply amazed me at the same time it delighted me: she had passed her examinations with flying colors, securing 479 out of 550. She had achieved good marks in all her subjects, Maths and Science being an exception.
I know our society is full of such examples. To foster such an attitude and greediness is not good for students, irrespective of their age. In my point of view, a student ought to strive hard for good marks, but they should also be taught that education is more than only securing As. Parents are often heard instructing their children to be a brilliant doctor or an engineer. Those children in their efforts to fulfill their parents’ dreams, begin with cramming books rather than trying to understand the material provided to them and produce conceptualised response. This is true for most if not all students who are over-burdened to achieve good marks.
This demands the modification of our educational system, of the way we assess their knowledge and skills. We must understand that an individual cannot be expected to develop necessary skills to survive the practical life when all his student life he was encouraged to do nothing besides securing good grades.
It’s high time to change this education system.
