adminCharles Dube
MISBELIEF, joy and sadness characterised the feelings among last year’s A-level learners as their results were released. None could stop the exhilaration displayed by those who passed their examinations. Some could not believe that they made it because they felt the examinations were too difficult and expected the worst. Tears of joy trickled down the cheeks of such learners. Those were the results of hard work.
Sadly, though, in the middle of all the excitement, some learners, especially those who passed science subjects, are unsure whether they will make it to university because STEM funding has been scrapped. They were hoping that they would be assisted by the Stem programme. Their parents or guardians cannot afford the fees charged by universities. The question asked now is, “What next for the learners who cannot afford the fees? Is it the end of the road for them?” Only time will tell.
That is the only reason for gloom in otherwise a celebratory mood for learners who have done well. The performance of outgoing learners at a school has ripple effects on the learners remaining behind. When good results of an outgoing class are released and made known to the following class, the latter are jerked into action if they were in a relaxed state. In the next week or two the learners are seen studying hard. They work extra hard though naturally the human mind tires and they relax again.
Yet, the best these learners can do is to maintain the momentum of studying hard. There should be no relaxation until they achieve set goals after all, they would have seen the need for serious studies. The pattern of results of their predecessors should give them a good clue of how they should conduct themselves in their studies. It is not enough to see results of others, praise and laugh without learning anything from them. A reasonable learner draws lessons from those results and formulate good strategies of study to improve his or her own results.
Learners should among other suggestions consider working in groups. In groups learners share ideas where the weaker tend to gain from stronger learners. In selecting working groups learners should be very careful not to fall into wrong groups whereby there are parasites who get information from others but fail to contribute to the group. Highfliers should be careful not to be drawn downwards by colleagues who put little effort in their work.
While it is true that learners pass well when studying as individuals, at times it is necessary to share information so as to get correct facts. Studying individually is dangerous because once you get your facts wrong there is no room for correction whereas in groups you argue things out and eventually come to the correct answer. “Pride goes before a fall,” goes the adage. Some learners get low passes at A-level because of arrogance resulting from exceptionally good results attained at O-level.
A-level education is different from O-level. Learners should approach A-level studies in a different way from O-level. They should go beyond O-level understanding of issues. The former demands maturity and deeper understanding of the subjects being studied. Surface knowledge is not enough at A-level. Overconfidence built at O-level is dangerous to take to higher levels hence some learners are shocked when they achieve lower passes than their colleagues they beat clean at O-level. The overconfident learners tend to relax in their studies hoping to repeat the same feat achieved earlier at O-level.
I am afraid the result is a great fall. However, A-level learners should not lose hope and be saddened because they got E grades in their results, they can still be enrolled at universities. The only problem could be failing to do a course of choice. This is where those coming after these should strive to achieve quality passes to have no problems in choosing study areas at university.
Learners should be aware that friendships are made and broken when results come out. Those who have passed their A-level examinations normally proceed to universities or other tertiary institutions and have no business associating with people who have not made it, hence friends change. Those who have not passed feel abandoned when their colleagues move on and associate with new people they meet at college. Before I conclude allow me to digress a bit.
Productive learning in schools only takes place when there is mutual understanding and co-operation among all stakeholders. These stakeholders include schools, parents and learners. Once one of these is out of step there is a big problem. Reasonable parents know that they should support the schools where their children learn, but, they should not interfere with every day running of schools. They should not impose their wishes on schools. When there are problems parents should dialogue with the authorities of schools until a solution is found.
Dialogue helps ease tension and brings quick solutions to problems. Using blackmail and other unorthodox methods to arm-twist schools to change their modus operandi and accommodate one’s selfish interests does not help solve issues. It is bad for parents to resort to using undue influence like threats from higher offices to force schools to do what is against their ethos. Schools have their ways of operation which should be respected by all who come to associate with them. Do not force a school, for example, to bend its rules because you are highly connected.
One would think that with the new dispensation such blatant corruption has stopped. Doing as one likes, going about intimidating people with punishment from high offices, should not be tolerated. Everybody should say no to corruption even in education circles. Parents who feel that their children are getting a raw deal at one school are free to move them to others. Why force your will at one school? It has been said before that, “A school is a school”.
A reasonable parent knows that schools are business places and have no time to be attending to perennial trouble makers and will not try to make other people’s work uncomfortable. Of course, this is the other side of issues.
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derick.khumalo