Assessments should be outlawed by Seema Khalid

The reasons of Assessment for an institution are many for example to meet institutional accreditation requirements which helps in  enhancing quality in higher education, to guide curricular planning, revising program requirements, proposing new academic programs, or revising existing programs etc. Whereas for a student the reason for assessment is to get good grades, which has raised the need for the growing industry of private tuitions better known as the shadow education system to help in cramming. In some countries, parents, educators and politicians are highly critical of the way in which private tutoring has come to dominate the lives of families and pupils. Tutoring commonly propagates social inequalities and it consumes human and financial resources which perhaps could be used more appropriately in other activities. It is also very obvious that children who attend both mainstream and supplementary classes of shadow education are under significant pressure as children are not able to live their lives to the fullest. Parents abuse them over the concern of Grades, thus putting on young minds enormous pressure and probably setting them into undesirable attitude patterns as a result of a super competitive education system and a work environment which has no room for initiatives, creativity and adaptability. Another area which is greatly affected is that when children due to pressure of exams stay away due to school and private tuitions stay away from home family bonds of affection are inevitably weakened. Also rushing to several places without food or rest makes students denied of free time to explore their own personal interest.

Planners must consider reforming examinations and examining students’ skills in a manner which cannot be achieved by cramming or shadow education. This will help reduce fatigue amongst students. Schools have a larger role of defying such ills and developing a framework which helps students rather than compels them to odd stuff for example thinking of suicidal attempts due to low grades which has become very common. Also a reform is also required to stop showing comparisons of students in ranking rather a better option for assessment rather a better method should be to tell how the child did their personal best against their own standard rather than against standards of the mass. At school level Portfolios of individual achievement can be a better way of measuring student achievement measurement. There are schools in Pakistan too though not many, with an approach which dismisses the entire concept of paper pencil tests to label students rather they have an approach which recognizes each individual as an identity worthy of achieving better every day with the support of the teacher. My proposed idea of examinations should be outlawed still remains as I still observe the purpose of examinations which should be to improve practices is not being implemented rather the victim of  examinations are the students whose lives are at stake due to the assessment policies of each organization.