Grading System Vs Student Motivation

Back when I was in primary school, students were graded not just by scores, but also by their class position. Your result would show whether you came 1st, 5th or even last in class.

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Some parents didn’t like seeing their children always at the bottom, so schools gradually removed positions and focused only on percentage. Personally, I feel that change reduced the competitive spirit among students.

Back then, many students pushed themselves just to make the top 3 because it came with pride, recognition and respect from both teachers and classmates. Once positions disappeared, everything started to feel more “normal” and less competitive.

Now we are used to grading systems like A1, B2 and the rest. Even that still creates a level of motivation among students. Imagine if education became only “pass or fail”, many students would likely settle for the bare minimum instead of striving to do better.

Students are already becoming demotivated because of the years spent in school, the money involved, and, in the end, the lack of jobs to reward the effort.

Many people now go to school mainly for validation, but honestly, I think it is still better to have a certificate and not find a job than not have a certificate and still miss opportunities for good jobs. The latter feels worse.

We should not make things worse by introducing unnecessary changes to the system as it already is. The best way to boost student morale is not by switching to a pass/fail system, but by creating real job opportunities for graduates.

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Once students are confident that there is a job waiting after school, more people will be motivated to work hard, gain admission, and complete their studies.

Honestly, if things continue this way, in the near future, more people may lose interest in formal education and focus on learning handwork and skills instead.

I miss the old system. It kept students on their toes; no one wanted to be the last in class, and everyone fought to be in the top 3. It would be nice if we could have something like that again, but I doubt it, because schools have turned into people pleasers.

Some people believed this old ranking system created a certain kind of pressure that pushed some students to try harder, but I don't see how that is a problem, a school is a place to learn, so competition is something that can't be avoided...

A competitive environment will only make them a better version of themselves. It is okay if they can't be as brilliant as some; at least they will see much improvement in their academic performance. No one loves to be the last.

Back to the hive learner pass/fail only system, is a No for me!

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