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Thousands of children across the country are taking their Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE)
Just after the exams I know the usual comments comes in. Why are children in public schools not getting the best grades. Then the teacher is condemned, crucified, shamed and dragged in the mud.
The students who are not favored by the exam system are thrown into the dustbin.
Those who are not lucky to perform well in the BECE are deemed useless by the society.
The government has no real plans for them. The parents have no room for them and the society has no space for them.
Then with fury and tears in my eyes I ask the following questions.
•Is the child in school only to pass exams? •Is the teacher's job only to prepare the child for exams? •Is there any other thing needed from the graduating child aside the passing of exams? •Does the entire life of the school child depends on the outcome of his or her BECE OR WASSCE? •Even the exams itself, is it meant to pass everybody?
Now the schools kill children's dream instead of developing the dreams.
We have made the school a fertile ground for children good only in the cognitive sense and the children with the affective and psychomotor skills are made to look like goats in a sea.
That's why the framers of our curriculum have added activities such as P. E. and music and dance.
But now if you go to our schools, the P. E. periods are used for teaching the so called important subjects. The music and dance has now become like salt in a bucket of water.
The making of crafts for our day is no longer in existence. These goes to make a school a one way traffic.
Every child is born with a natural talent.
Every child is unique.
So as teachers our job is to discover these talents and help the children to develop them. But we end up trying to force the children to accept what they are not ready for and if they don't conform then we label them useless. What a pity?
Parents remember that your child might not be naturally ready for the career you have created in your mind for him or her.
The government should create avenues for such students to excel.
I would like everyone to know that any child who has completed JHS never live the same way he or she entered the school some years back. He or she has learnt some greater values, skills and attitudes that can never be graded by WAEC.
Stop making it sound like writing of exams is the end of a school child. The student must be let to understand that the exam is just like a speed ramp on the street. It only tells you to slow down but not to stop.
To stop corruption, poor attitudes towards work and other problems the country is facing, our schools should stop concentrating on passing exams but rather teach positive attitudes and values.
The movers and shakers of the world out there are people who got vision and not just people who got 8 ones in a WAEC examination.
The results of the exams will be coming very soon after this week's papers. Before that let the SHS and the JHS students awaiting their result know that there's life after exams. That tertiarys and Senior high schools are not the only destination. Instead of just teaching them about how to pass exams let's teach them how to make it in life.
Because of this students in our tertiary institutions just prefer grades to the knowledge they paid for. Hence we always produce graduates each year yet our problems never gets solved by them. First class on paper, fourth class on the field. Because our educational system only award theory and condemn prscticals.
Let's go back and look at the definition of Education again. Knowledge, skills and attitudes.
Teachers let's do the job passionately.
Parents let's collaborate with the teachers affectionately.
Government must perform it's duty diligently.
Together let develop the child holistically.
Remember no child is born useless but it's the environment that corrupts them.
Every child in the classroom needs equal attention from you.
