Are We Obsessed With Exams?

We need to start exploring better ways of testing students’ knowledge and skills

- Albert P'rayan

Recently, the Tamil Nadu Minister for School Education K.A. Sengottaiyan announced the state government’s decision to hold public examinations for students in classes V and VIII from this academic year. The news came as a shock to education reformers. A few months ago, when the proposal of introducing public examinations for classes V and VIII, in line with the recommendations of the draft National Education Policy, was mooted by the state government, it received mixed reactions from education reformers, teachers, parents, mental health experts, activists and politicians following heated debates on the issue.

The new policy decision makes me raise these questions. Have we forgotten the purposes of education? Why are we obsessed with exams at a time when some countries have abolished exams at the primary and secondary levels? What negative impact will exams have on students? Aren’t there better ways of testing students’ knowledge and skills?

Purpose

Looked at it holistically, the primary purposes of school education are to teach values to students, develop their thinking skills and learning abilities, equip them with knowledge and necessary skills in order to help them move to the next stage of education, and prepare them to face challenges in life. What it implies is that subjecting students to unhealthy competitions, celebrating a few students’ success in exams and making other students feel dejected are not the purposes of school education.