Premium Times newspaper of August 8, 2002 reported that the just released 2022 WASSCE results hits a record low this year with 5?crease in performance and 11.74% increase in withheld results than last year. This was blamed on " over reliance on malpractice and poor preparation" according to the exam body's Head of Nigerian office, Mr. Patrick Areghan.
I wonder why any one should be shocked at this outcome because this has been the trend in the past couple of years and it is only getting worse with each passing year.
We are just reaping the fruits of the bad seeds that we have been sowing.
A teacher I know shared the idea of starting an afterschool intervention and preparatory centre for children in terminal classes or what we call 'exam' classes. At first, I didn't really think there was going to be a market for it because with my rose colored glasses, I thought a child who has been through primary or secondary school should be able to independently sit for and pass any required exams without requiring so much extra tutoring. I was definitely living in a fool's paradise.
He eventually started and I was shocked at the sheer number of children in primary 5 and 6 who didn't know basic arithmetic skills like the place value of a 2-digit number, task that is easy peasy for children in nursery 2 . You will be totally flabbergasted to know that even some teenagers about to write WASSCE are clueless about concepts as basic as this.
What left me completely speechless was the fact that some of them were students from some reputable schools in town.
Several questions raged in my head, how did such vital learning gaps go unnoticed over the years? If the school didn't notice, didn't the parents notice? Why weren't early interventions put in place to close these gaps? Why did they keep promoting them to the next class? Isn't it too late to intervene now when they about to write exams? Where do you even start from to close these gaps? Even if they eventually pass these exams by whatever means, how will they sustain their learning going forward?
Surprisingly, you find that most of these children have glowing doctored school results and malpractice aided external exam results.
All these questions lead back to the foundation of the child's education?
While you are there considering the time it will cost you to take real interest in your child's education, or the cost of a school that will provide quality and holistic education, also place these considerations side by side with the future cost of that your nonchalant option, your bandwagon option, your cheaper option, your nearer option, your effizy option etc.
If you can't afford it, that is understandable but you know that you have to do the extra work at home to support your child and close the learning gaps.
On the other hand, if you can afford it but you just choose to take the option that most of your friends are going to or that is closer to your home, or that will place the child in the class you want irrespective of their age, or they will cheat in exams to help the child pass an give you a false impression or you are leaving it to chance by saying, "it doesn't matter after all, what the child will be, the child will be" then don't cry over spilt milk and run around looking for who to throw money at so that they can perform magic and make your child pass exams when it is too late. Your choices would have yielded a child that will be a liability to you and others for life??
Let me share this fact with you for free, you can thank me later.
Top schools are selectively taking the best students who will not stress them to teach. Nobody wants to do work that someone else has collected money for except you are ready to pay through your nose.
So, before you accuse your village people, if you don't want your child to become part of the dregs of the society, a societal reject or a burden to you, make the right choice by partnering with us today at Blooms 'n Daisies School. We guarantee a full session's fee refund if your child is unable to pass entrance exam into any school of your choice at the end nursery/ primary with us. And guess what, we are not just promising you a child that will pass an exam once off, we are promising you a confident, independent, responsible child that is both locally and globally relevant and can thrive any where.
Enroll your children from 1 year in our reception class now that they are still small and there is still time. We don't accept children in exam classes. I am sure you don't want to hear " we are full, please join the waiting list"
For more details,
send a direct message to 08184242505
visit us at 75 Old Ikang Road, Big Qua Town, Calabar
follow us on Facebook @Blooms 'n Daisies School
and on Instagram @bloomsindaisies
May our children not suffer the consequences and pay the price for our poor choices today that is no fault of theirs.
May our poor and uninformed choices not rob them of a life of relevance.