Who actually fails when a student fails?

Education is and important asset of our lives

The time we invest in our education is the golden time of our life. For most of us education starts as a kindergarten kid and as we grow we keep learning new things and skills and at the end of the year we move to a new class.

We need to pass the tests and exams to graduate to a new class.

The education system is such that we need to study and appear for regular tests throughout the academic year. When I was studying in school there used to be weekly test that would test the knowledge we gained by way of attending the classes in the previous week.
These tests were designed to help us revise our studies and were in a way preparation for the semester and final exams.
The key to appearing and passing in the semester and the final exams is being regular in class, go home and revise what was taught in the class and prepare well for the weekly exams so that by the time the semester and the final exams happen the students have become well versed with the subject material.

The students are continuously mentored by the teachers

Looking back at my school days I have to admit that the teachers play a vital role in the academic progress a student makes.
As a student we all have our likes and dislikes. A student may be interested and good in a particular subject yet at the same time he may be mediocre in another subject.

A good teacher can make all the difference

A teacher who has a good grasp over the subject that he or she teaches can make a big difference in a student's life.
A good teacher can make the subject interesting for his students. Teaching is an art and some teachers are better at it than others.
Being knowledgeable does not mean a person can be a good teacher. It is about attitude and aptitude.

Student life is the best investment a person can make

In most cases it is our parents that select the school we go to. Though it is up to the school management to select and recruit the teachers who would be assigned to a class.

When the results are announced

The result announcement day is a big day and event in the life of any student. The mark sheet gives his marks and based on these marks he is either promoted to the next level or if he fails he is retained in the class to study again and reappear for the exams.
In the end a lot of credit goes to the teacher who taught the student.

The Exam results are like branding the cattle

When the results come students are branded according to their performance in the exams.
In the higher classes the competition to study and perform well is severe as the result would decide the career and in which stream a student gets admission.
Even though it is the student who passes or fails, quite a lot of the credit for the student's success goes to the teacher who helped the student in understanding the subject.

What if a lot of the students fail or do poorly?

Does it mean they did not study or is it that their teachers could not help them in making them understand the subjects?

The success of a student has two main components

The efforts that the student puts in is his part of the investment and this requires his time, energy and sincerity.
The teachers are the other part of the equation who are responsible for helping the students understand the subject and prepare for the exam.

Is the failure collective

The marksheet and the result card would say that the student failed. What if the teacher or the school failed to teach?
I recently came across the news that in the final exam for the final year students of the state schools as many as 18 schools were found in a state where not a single student passed the final exam.
How shocking is this news?
At the end of the day the marksheet would fail. Would there be any accountability and answerability on the part of the school authorities and the teachers?

For the student it is a black mark

A black mark that would remain in the academic records. A lot of students may drop out after such results and discontinue their education.
For such students who attended these schools it proved to be a bad investment where the time and efforts went down the drain.
Collectively it is a systemic failure that nobody talks about. The teachers and management is rarely made accountable and so much young student talent gets wasted in the process.

Final thoughts

Education is the best investment that one can make. It not only shapes the future but can also open doors of opportunities.
When an education fails the results can be painful and have to borne by the students and the society at large.

Main image created with AI

Posted Using INLEO