100pc pass rate: An elusive dream?

IT is that time of the year when parents and students run to various centres where candidates sat for their “A” Level examinations in 2019 and there are sighs of disappointment and the jumping sky high in jubilation if the child has done poorly or brilliantly respectively.

Manicaland had more than 200 students who had 15 points and above with Knowsticks Academy and St Faith’s High School weighing in with 37 high fliers apiece. However, for most high schools, the 100 percent pass rate is proving to be an elusive dream.

It boils down to the quality of students who qualified for “A” Level and the resources available at the school of their choice. At times, adversity brings forth the best from the supposedly “poor” schools. Three years ago, Mutema High School, a rural school, had three students who aced the three subjects. It could have been a flash in the pan but still 100 percent wasn’t reached.

Will there ever be a time when all schools will boast a 100 percent pass rate? More importantly, will the pass rate be quality based? Why are schools failing to reach that threshold?

This week’s instalment has deviated from the poetry piece originally planned before the results were announced and the writer noted that most schools in Manicaland and the nation failed to get the 100 percent pass rate which is ideal for the longsuffering parents who eke a living from the basest position imaginable.

One candidate had seven A’s in 2017 at Ordinary Level and he opted for the Sciences at a certain school. His preferred combination was Geography, Mathematics and Agriculture, but the selectors at his school were adamant that he should take Economics instead of Mathematics as the department was “oversubscribed”. Reluctantly, he accepted the offer but two years down the line, the young man had 11 points as he obtained a “D” in Economics and his future prospects are dimmed. Therefore, after the Economics paper, he began studying Mathematics in anticipation of a fail symbol in Economics.

Students have to put their best foot forward. It is pointless to insist on a certain subject combination which appeals to the parent or teachers but the intended beneficiary is unwilling to take up the subjects. One psychologist said often parents live their lives through their children; they want their children to do what they failed to do in their heydays; consequently, they push their children towards a career path they themselves intended to be theirs but they failed to do it.

Granted, is it Bruner, Skinner or Piaget, famed psychologists, who said if he was given any child and the parent wants his child to be a pilot, he would achieve the feat. Parents live for their children’s education and future contentment largely as a result of a good career choice.

With that in mind, they are not amenable to a situation where their child opts to pursue a certain combination which differs from theirs completely. In some instances, parents are correct in their assessment; it is pointless to insist on a combination which one’s child cannot do under any circumstances. Surely, the Sciences and Commercials appeal to a wide spectrum of parents and the Arts are looked down upon as a combination which leads to low-paying jobs.

I disagree vehemently with the above school of thought. Arts are important in the transformation of the country from a political, social and political point of view.

What will be the end result of a journey by someone who is forced to do the Sciences and gets zero point? His/her dream of a university education crumbles right before his/her eyes.

Yet in other cases, there are students who may be “connected” to the powers that be or they have specialist skills such as ball games or athletics and the school has no qualms enrolling them notwithstanding the fact that they have weak passes. One English teacher at a prominent school in the province lamented that his department (English) is at a disadvantage every year since these “weak brained” students who have attributes in other areas are “dumped” on the department yet they know zilch about either English or Literature in English. In some instances, they do not have English at “O” Level but one expects them to get a pass at that level.

Teachers of English also need the best students for the 15 pointers to come from the Arts as well.

To many people, the major reason for failing to get maximum points at “A” Level is premised on laziness on the part of the student. There are many variables, one of which has been discussed above.

Teachers may fail to appreciate the need to utilise the time allocated to the teaching/ learning situation. As a result, by the time the Lower Sixth students finish their term 3, they would have covered less than half of the material which should have been done in Form 5.

For example, in the domain of English, some teachers take long to teach fundamentals of literature such as practical criticism and as they drag their feet, frustration on the part of the students soars and they are not ready for the opening days of the first term in Upper Sixth.

One may argue that spoonfeeding is not the solution to the teaching of literature at “A” Level. Without pulverising their jargon with high-sounding words, the fact of the matter is that students should enjoy their studying and that can only happen if teachers are abreast of current events and they motivate their students. For those privileged to teach English at “A” Level, it should be crystal clear to them that not everyone who does literature at that level has prior knowledge of what literature is all about.

Isn’t it weird that a student who had an incredible haul of 10 As at “O” Level suddenly sees his intelligence being taken prisoner by God-knows-who at an important juncture in his life and gets a paltry three points or zilch at “A” Level? Will it be surprising if the parents demand a rebate on the school fees they paid? People pay through the nose to send children to school as an investment; the latter emanates from the fact that parents want their children to be independent in later life.

There is this craze that has resulted in candidates doing six subjects at “A” Level. One may ask what that young girl/boy wants to achieve by being ostentatious like that especially if the university authorities look at your first three subjects?

An idle mind is the devil’s workshop. There are high fliers out there and for them to do a mere three subjects is not just on. They would have plenty of time to do bad things but when their subjects are many, they have some serious studying to do. We leave that story for another day.

However, the question still remains: Can we ever have a 100 percent pass rate at “A” Level judging by current trends? After all, a pass at that level starts from the E symbol unlike at “O” Level where a C and above are the catchword for one to be deemed to have passed that level.