Young boys and girls around the country are receiving their CXC results today and I can only imagine the feelings of anxiety they would be experiencing. Many of them would have gone to countless hours of extra lessons and sleepless nights in an attempt to achieve the goal of the coveted one or distinction. The average age of the student writing the CXC exams is 16-18. I personally believe that this is a time in life to be happy and joyous. Parents, teachers, family and friends put an incredible amount of pressure on students to succeed. This may be fine but to what end. There are student who are afraid to collect results because of the possible outcome. CXC would be the first major exam that many of these students would have taken since SEA, which in itself is madness. Exams are tricky beasts, in that if you woke up the morning with a stomach ache or if rain fell and you were late it may affect your performance. I know for a fact that I do not do exams well. I hate them with a passion and I do not think that they are a true representation of a person’s ability, but we have to do it because our society recognizes it as acceptable form of performance measurement or assessment.
I want to explore as a parent, student or friend if a child does not get the grades desired by all there are options. The student can repeat the examination, which can be done in a number of ways. The student can go to the On-the-Job Training Programme to get a job for a one year period and repeat the exams in January or June of the following year. The student can go back to a secondary school and repeat the entire form five year. The former option allows for the individual to gain some working experience while figuring out what the next step in life could be. In the end we are all going to the same place to become responsible adults contributing to the good of society. Take for example your friends who went to the prestige schools got ones for CXC and A’s for A-levels didn’t we all end up in UWI or some University together struggling to get the same degree.
I am in no way against education at any level. However if a student does not excel at the traditional mathematics, physics, English, Biology then maybe the parents and need to review whether the child is following the right path, because everyone has a view for their child to be a doctor lawyer or an accountant. But that is not possible nor is it realistic. There are several other professions that are quite viable. For example, have you ever seen an attorney going to court with their hair in a mess? After that attorney makes their money they have to then give it to the beautician or barber. I am of the strong belief that my hairdresser makes more money than me and she is happier too because she works for her damn self and keeps her own hours.
With the results of young students you may know being announced. Keep one thing in mind that the child did their best and that is all that matters. The world is not going to come to an end. Everything will be just fine.
I want to explore as a parent, student or friend if a child does not get the grades desired by all there are options. The student can repeat the examination, which can be done in a number of ways. The student can go to the On-the-Job Training Programme to get a job for a one year period and repeat the exams in January or June of the following year. The student can go back to a secondary school and repeat the entire form five year. The former option allows for the individual to gain some working experience while figuring out what the next step in life could be. In the end we are all going to the same place to become responsible adults contributing to the good of society. Take for example your friends who went to the prestige schools got ones for CXC and A’s for A-levels didn’t we all end up in UWI or some University together struggling to get the same degree.
I am in no way against education at any level. However if a student does not excel at the traditional mathematics, physics, English, Biology then maybe the parents and need to review whether the child is following the right path, because everyone has a view for their child to be a doctor lawyer or an accountant. But that is not possible nor is it realistic. There are several other professions that are quite viable. For example, have you ever seen an attorney going to court with their hair in a mess? After that attorney makes their money they have to then give it to the beautician or barber. I am of the strong belief that my hairdresser makes more money than me and she is happier too because she works for her damn self and keeps her own hours.
With the results of young students you may know being announced. Keep one thing in mind that the child did their best and that is all that matters. The world is not going to come to an end. Everything will be just fine.
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