The modern era came with profound technological changes that spread its wings across various sectors; war, health and medicine, science, and education, among others. There is no doubt that technology has greatly influenced education and helped create opportunities for many people. However, times have changed, but it seems the educational system is still the way it used to be. To make things simpler, I'll use these examples as case studies. Before the World Wars (before technology fully seeped into the world), humans battled with local weapons as there were no modern ones. However, with the advent of technology, things changed and they developed more battling weapons and strategies. Similarly, before civilization, humans communicated through local methods; birds, smoke signals, and letters which could take months. Now, things have changed. You can communicate with your loved ones just from the comfort of your home.
With these examples, it is evident that technology has spread its wings across every other sector, but somehow skipped the educational sector. Better put, its effects are slightly felt in the education sectors, especially in third-world countries. The educational system has always remained the same, following the same process every decade; go to school, write notes, take tests, revise, and write exams. In most schools, these exams and tests are a way to measure a child’s intelligence. Meaning, that if you don’t do well in your math and English exams, you are automatically a failure.
The concept of judging students’ intelligence based on their exam grades is so messed up. In my opinion, the fact that you come out with good grades doesn't necessarily make you smart or intelligent. For instance, one of my departmental mates falls into this box. She is a “word-freak”. She answers questions beautifully in class. With the lengthy conversations I've had with her, I know for sure that she is brilliant. However, she doesn't do well during exams. The irony? Other students who are not-too-brilliant come out with better grades So, what exactly is the problem? Would you say she isn't smart? Or are there so many factors affecting her failure to come out in shining colors?
There are so many students like my friend out there who have talents and can make use of them, but struggle to be among the toppers in class. The craziest part? When students don’t pass exams, they are considered a failure by their teachers and peers. For as far back, the educational system has been messy, using exams as a basis to judge student's intelligence. When they don't pass the exams, they are made to repeat the class all over again and go through the same process; notes, more notes, tests, and exams.
Also, the educational system doesn't teach students how to solve real life problems. Instead, they make them read books, go over theories, and analyze them. I don’t know how it works in other countries, but here in my country, everything is ruined from the most basic form of education; elementary schools. You see elementary school students going to school with big textbooks and notebooks. Looking back, during my primary school days, I had these two big textbooks, they were called Ugo.C.Ugo for both math and English. Those two t textbooks alone almost filled my bag, but I was still forced to bring all my notes to school on the teacher's demand. Instead of training them on solving real life problems right from when they are young, they load them with rhymes, notes, and more notes. Students could cram their notes and go to the exam hall to pour them down. It works for many. My point is that although these rhymes and notes are important, they shouldn’t be limited to these things.
Times have changed, but the educational system is still stuck in a temporal anomaly, repeating the same thing over and over again. Written exams shouldn't be the only basis for measuring a kid’s intelligence. So many people made it in school and got good grades but are still struggling in the outside world. If I were in the position of authority, I would mandate every student to take exams based on the school curriculum and also teach them to utilize their talents. Imagine teaching a kid from the start (full time) how to be business minded and equipping them with the right resources alongside the normal curriculum. Super cool!
Thanks for reading.
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