By Fidha Nazlin:
The time to evaluate the current education system has come. Parents and students are only happy with results. An A+ grade attached to their names. In the temporary bliss of securing good grades, we forget to evaluate the worth and value of such grades which are considered life changing.
I work as a part-time tutor in a tuition centre. Less than two weeks back, I evaluated the language papers of students from grade ninth and tenth. I was horrified. They lacked even the basic knowledge of grammar and spellings. They couldn’t even comprehend the proper use of prepositions. One boy showed me his answer paper which was evaluated by his school teacher. I read the paper. The answers he had written made absolutely no sense. Yet, he had been given a good score for it. It made me think about the future of that boy.
The question I pose to the prevalent education system is pretty simple. What matters more? Quality or quantity? For many teachers, it’s just the quantity that matters. Even if the words fail to make any sense. They don’t bother rectifying the mistakes of these kids either. Unfortunately, this results in the kids believing that whatever they write is correct. Sadly, they’re not even aware of the mistakes they have made. Younger generation views this education system as a boon. As it is about working less and gaining more.
Such a casual attitude while checking an English language paper is nothing short of a curse. It is the worst thing that teachers and institutions could do to a child. English is a global language. It’s one of the essential things to know in the world today. If a child grows up lacking the skills to communicate and write in an international language like English, he will not be able to cope up in the rat race of life. This act of giving marks for free is ruining the skills and abilities of the students. Such teaching prevents kids from differentiating between right and wrong.
Instead of awarding lenient scores, teachers should rectify the errors of the students. This can only be followed if the evaluation is much stricter. Every mark the students lose, will help them in rectifying their errors. This will improve the quality of their writing and speech, which will result in much better academic results. The role of education is to provide wings to a child’s dream. Education should help students to soar high in life. It’s better to fail in an exam than a lifetime.
_