|
From primary school to the end of their tertiary education,
students face the daunting task of preparing for examinations every
single year. So much time and emotion is poured into preparing for
examinations.
Advocates of the system contend that annual examinations are a
good way of training children for the stress of life after school - where
deadlines and sales quotas need to be met, and work completed
methodically and with minimum fuss.
Government examinations are also said to be the necessary
yardstick for measuring the capability of each person for further
education or employment.
Yet, are examinations an accurate yardstick? A person's true
abilities may not be shown by written examinations. Take Winston
Churchill, for example. He was a school dropout and yet he became one
of England's greatest statesmen, a national savior in World War II.
Clearly, some talents and forms of ingenuity go undetected in
examinations.
Another problem related to our system of examinations is that
teachers become too "exam-orientated". They race through the
syllabus so that they can cover everything in it in time for the
examinations regardless of whether their students have understood the
material. The weaker students often end up the victims in this race --
they are left far behind the rest of the class. They become more and
more discouraged as they understand less and less of the lessons, to
the point that they hardly care if they pass or fail. Sadly, this attitude will
be carried with them into adult life.
What about the "swots"? Well, speaking as one, I confess that I often
wonder whether it is worth it. We rush from one tuition class to another
and we spend most of our time studying for tests and examinations, or doing
our homework. All through the school semester, we only have one
thought in mind: to excel in the examinations. Is this really living?
A related point is that some students are so occupied with their
studies that they do not develop their potential in other fields. It is true
that there are many clubs and societies in the school. However, many
students just do not have the time to make full use of these
extracurricular activities. They have to study, study, study. So, our
emphasis on examinations is indirectly producing people who are only
trained to study and reproduce facts rather than well-rounded
individuals.
In conclusion, while I realize that it will be impossible to do away
with all examinations, I feel that they should be given less importance
within the school system. For example, instead of basing entry
qualifications on one examination, students should also be evaluated
through the cumulative marks of tests and assignments. Furthermore
educationists, employers, parents and the students themselves should
always be reminded that the results of examinations are not equal to
the sum of the net worth of the individual.
|
