Letter: Failure of the national exams

I note yet again many students have failed their exams and it should be investigated to find the reasons why.

The blame cannot be laid solely on the students and it must be questioned if they are being stimulated enough to achieve good results. We must remember there are many distractions in today’s world such as TV, video games, mobile phones etc, which make the mind wander in other directions.

Schools: There is obviously a failure somewhere in the system. It seems as if the method of teaching is not creating interest in what they are learning and thus the students do not have the stimulus to pay full attention to the matter in question, create high interest or produce incentives to achieve. Maybe the teachers need to be taught how to teach in a positive manner.

Parents: The blame cannot be laid at one door. Parents must take partial blame, encourage your child and help in their learning, show a positive interest, teach them to read at an early age by reading them bedtime stories. Reading books will activate the brain much better than TV, apportion time for homework but most importantly encourage them to achieve with positive thinking. Make your child’s future bright.

I often wonder if exams are the right method, many bright students fail exam through nervousness. Should schools evaluate a students progress for the whole year and not on one exam, maybe the results would be different, that way you take away the high pressure for a short period from schools, parents and friends and see what the student achieves in the long run. Plus, eliminate cheating.
But obviously something needs to be done.
 
Cliff
Jakarta