Passing
examinations has been made mandatory in our country. Though passing is
mandatory, the road to success has not been clearly set; the end justifies the
means. Being a society driven by academic success it is alarming to realise
that we are neither a society that does constant revision nor engage in
research. There are very few students, if any, who want to read, understand
concept and then apply them to real life. Our main objective is just to pass
examinations and be able to the next academic stage.
It
is this examination passing culture that has turned students into cramming
robots at the last minute. Those in primary schools and secondary schools may
have someone to make sure they get adequate sleep but in tertiary institutions,
sleeping hours are self-imposed. Students will study all night at the eve of
the exam and yet they had the whole semester to prepare for the same. Everyone
puts all the effort possible at the eleventh hour to avoid the wrath of the
system when they score below the pass mark.
Exam
times have their lighter side too, all the stomach butterflies and tight
schedules withstanding. This is the time you witness the funniest scenarios.
There is the group of students who were not able to grasp anything during the
last minute rush and hence they equip themselves with additional note popularly
known as mwakenyas. The notes are
well prepared containing all the course content and are well hidden. The hiding
areas may range from private parts, bras, pockets, shoes and even the
washrooms. All this is done in the name of passing exams. I know most people
will be quick to conclude that the mwakenyas
are used by the youth but even the senior citizens have been assimilated
into the practise. This is probably because of the deadlines they have to meet
in the offices and the stress at home leaving them little study time.
The mwakenya crew is not always lucky.
Though their efforts are meant to aid them pass their exams, the system is not
easily deceived. The shortcut to passing exams is easily cut shot by
invigilators and students have to face the senate so as to explain their
behaviour. No student deserves the cruel treatment by the exams. Simple
preparation would help avoid all this drama. Those who end up losing their
sponsorships and those who are kicked out of the institution can survive the system
if only they did prepare for the examination. The pass mark in campus is just
forty percent and without that much effort one can easily obtain the mark.
Our
education system is greatly to blame. It pushes people to the wall by heaping
unwarranted emphasis solely on exams. Little emphasis is put to the value of
education and the skills that we acquire from school. Our society has only a
place for those who excel in academics. What happened to the all rounded
student? We are all part of a system that nurtures exam passing machines ready
to be turned into professional robots incapable of the slightest innovation.
The innovation level is at a bare minimum which can be supported by the fact
that we import everything from matchsticks, underwear, tissue paper, the water
closet, the sewer pipes and the list is endless.
The
blame of the exam passing culture is not entirely on the education system. Our
lifestyle and job market is also to blame. We are not willing to accept failure
as part of life and no single individual accepts that they failed at some point
in life even when they did. Our society is full of heroes. The job market is
also for the academic giants. The best jobs ask for the highest attainable
grades little room has been left for the innovators and those will skills
rather than grades.
Here are related articles:
1.Students Should not be Defined by their Academic Performance
No comments:
Post a Comment