Provide love and guidance
Parents must take heed that examinations are not the sole yardstick of a child’s worth
ATOTAL of 443,794 candidates are sitting the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) which began yesterday at 8,134 examination centres throughout the country. UPSR is the first of a series of examinations Malaysian schoolchildren face on the road to colleges and universities in what some people describe as an examination-oriented education system.
After just six years of schooling and being a mere 12-yearold, it is only normal to feel some nervousness. This is a natural human reaction. It is important for parents and teachers to be around when our young pupils come face-toface with the examination environment. Nothing can beat the proximity of the human touch. Volumes have been written on the effect of parental love on the child’s performance in examinations and life. Parents must not exert too much pressure on the pupils as this will impose unnecessary expectations on someone so very young. They must take heed, too, that examinations are not the sole yardstick of a child’s worth.
Transferring the results we want onto the young shoulders of 12-year-olds can be damaging.
Parents sometimes forget that personal success is not an overnight achievement. The Bill Gates and Steve Jobs of the world did not turn in one top performance after another. Their biographies tell us that their lives were filled with both ups and downs. And, most of the ups were a result of learning the lessons from things that did not turn out as planned. There is a lesson here for us parents. We should not make too great a demand, especially on our children who are so very young. After all, they have just had six years of formal learning and, God willing, will see many more years before they enter colleges and universities.
The UPSR examination should be an opportunity for parents to have a dialogue of love with their children on what will transpire at the examination hall as the days progress. Candidates worry that they may not have performed well in the paper they just turned in; parents must have comfortable words to allay that fear rather than add to their misery.
As the examinations progress, parents should be at hand to guide them through difficult areas of study so that their confidence grows as the exam nears the end. They must ensure the children get a healthy diet and good sleep. Good performance at examinations requires a healthy body and mind.
When the results come in, there will be many who will be exultant; there will be some who will face disappointment, but it is not the end of the world. Parents and teachers must continue their dialogue so that no self-denigration takes place. Depression is a dangerous thing, more so when it comes unannounced at so young an age.
Parents and teachers need to uncover the factors that led to their children’s poor performance so that they do not give up learning. All efforts must be expanded by the parents at home and teachers at schools to ensure that the pupils’ commitment to learning does not wane. Finally, never put pressure on children. Place love instead.
NST wishes UPSR candidates all the best in their examination.
As the examinations progress, parents should be at hand to guide them through difficult areas of study so that their confidence grows...