GCE O/L and the prospects for our young

Yet another GCE Ordinary Level examination is getting underway today, and, as should be expected, the candidates sitting for it are running into the tens of thousands. Needless to say, this is a crucial and, in a sense, make-or-break examination for our young, since how they fare in it would determine largely whether they could avail of a higher education and go on to achieve a degree of success in life.

Our hope is that we will reach an almost 100 percent success rate at this examination because none of these young lives should be relegated to the ranks of ‘failures’. Unfortunately, this target has proved impossible to meet over the years and very many of our OL students end up getting off to a bad start in life by not acquiring the required grades to go further in their academic careers.

These ‘failures’ ought to be a matter of profound worry to the authorities as well as to all other concerned quarters. It is not our contention that such concern is not being shown already, but we believe these ‘failures’ should attract the same attention that those who are described as succeeding brilliantly at public examinations usually do. The students who come off these examinations ‘with flying colours’ need to be felicitated and honoured and we urge that this process be persisted with, but we request that ‘failures’ too draw the same attention that the winners spontaneously attract.

In Minister Dulles Alahapperuma we have a state functionary who is deeply concerned about the condition of these students who are not being seen as having succeeded in public examinations. He sees the limitations inherent in written examinations as primary modes of assessing the capabilities of the young and has on many occasions given public expression to his concerns, which is something positive that needs to be appreciated. We believe that the time is ripe to think out of the box on these issues. A young student is faced with the difficult task of putting down on paper, within some specified minutes, an answer to a question of some complexity, and the chances are that he or she may not square-up to the challenge fully. Should, then, they be considered as being incapable of learning and getting on to higher studies?

We are only touching some areas of the surface of that vast problem which is ‘educational failure’ and connected issues, with questions of this kind, but it cannot be emphasized enough that the state should persist in the task of educational reform to ensure that no young life runs the risk of being relegated to the ranks of the so-called useless. It is our firm conviction that no life is useless; every person is unique and by virtue of this fact is blessed with some capabilities, although the prevalent systems of assessment may not be in a position to take stock of these individual pluses on account of their inherent limitations.

To be sure, a more enlightened approach to primary and secondary education cannot be introduced overnight, but the process of remoulding educational systems in accordance with the noble principle of getting the best out of every person should get underway without further delay.

Meanwhile, we welcome a scheme by the government to develop some 5,000 primary schools, along with 1,000 secondary schools. This may go just some distance in enabling the rural-based student in particular to pursue his or her education on an even playing field, with students from what are considered ‘good schools’ and thereby better his or her life prospects. This has to be an earnest effort on the part of our educational authorities. The resource gap and other disparities between the underprivileged areas and the wealthier regions of the country must be systematically wiped out if equity is to reign in the local educational sphere. This task must be accorded the highest priority.

Every person who contributes to national advancement should be considered important. It is not only the members of those professions which are considered prestigious who are instrumental in realizing the common good. Every productive member of our polity is party to this process. Our educational system and its founding values ought to recognize and enshrine these home truths.