Misplaced priority, undue distraction, laziness, top reasons for perennial mass failure in SSCE – students
The last may not have been heard of reactions to the recently released results of May/June Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations(SSCE) organised by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) that witnessed only 31.2 % (i.e.529, 425,000 out of 1,692,435,000 candidates) having credit pass in 5 subjects including English and Mathematics.
Cross section of youths who themselves are in the centre of the disturbing trend of academic decline in their responses identify misplaced priority, undue distractions from several quarters and to a large extent laziness as the reasons why failure rate is on the increase.
Damisi Abijo, a recent secondary school leaver believes that a lot of students no longer care about hardwork anymore. This he attributes to the general attitude of the society which no longer encourages people to be hard working.
“The truth of the matter is that students no longer read. It is very surprising how a student can mention the names of players in Europe and their coaches as well as how much these people earn but do not care about their academics”
“Instead of tapping the benefits of technological advancement through e-learning, Students are busy engaging in social media discourse etc. Many students have access to internet but hardly google any academic subject.
“The introduction of short cuts to passing examination has not help students at all to be hard working”. He said.
For Faith Joshua, another concerned student, the mass failure especially in English Language in no small way is traceable to the lack of proper coordination by the students during the exercise.
The GSM language has done more harm than good to the effective writing skills of students, “Some of the students forget they are writing examination and start writing the ways they text GSM messages, tell me how such a student can pass in a standard examination like WAEC”, she said.
Joshua further added that laziness and general loss of interest in their academic work has in no small ways accounted for the soaring cases of mass failure in examinations
“In my days in secondary school, we do massive midnight/weekend reading while preparing for exams. But what do you see today? Students in some cases shamefully aided by their parents are looking for special centers and short cuts towards success in examination”. She said.
She called on Teachers to change their pattern of teaching so they are can be in tune with modern methods of teaching as it affects the current realities on ground.
Caroline Chukwuma, another concerned student, on her part attributes the recent downward slide in the performance of students in WEAC examination to the Quest for cheap fame and wealth
Chukwuma pointed out that allure of fame through various reality shows, as it is prevalent in the country today has in no small way rob students of quality time to study their books.
“The average Nigerian youth wants to the most beautiful Girl in Nigeria, a singer in any of the projects fame competitions or ultimate search; tell me when they would have time to read”.
“The only talents our youths now have are music, dancing, acting and stand up comedies, they no longer have talents for maths, physics and entrepreneurship while government, electronic media and companies have not been helpful at all” she added.
KELECHI EWUZIE