We want more

What has become obvious so far is that the Ministry of Education has done a good job managing the General Secondary Education Certificate Examination (Tawjihi).

In previous years, several bad practices prevailed. Students were able to cheat in the exam or get “help” from both inside and outside the exam halls. The questions were hurriedly prepared, and the marking was generous. 

On top of this, students got bonus marks.

In the view of many, the exam — which is almost the sole determiner of the future of so many of our young men and women — became increasingly unreliable.

At present, much of these pitfalls has been reduced, and much integrity and credibility has returned to this most important exam.

The ministry’s achievement at this level, which has implications beyond the exam itself, should not be underestimated.

Discipline and the rule of law are crucial in any venture that has human dealings, academic or otherwise.

As a matter of fact, lack of discipline is one of the most dangerous maladies of our educational system, just as it is one of the most dangerous maladies in our society at large.

One major difference between developed societies and the underdeveloped is in the degree of discipline in all aspects of work and life, and the degree to which societies abide by laws and regulations.

Thus when the ministry started with enforcing laws and regulations with respect to the Tawjihi, it was spot on.

What is required now is to take a step further and enforce rules and regulations in other realms within the system: in school yards, classrooms, school activities, etc.

It goes without saying, however, that this milestone achievement, important as it is, is only one step out of many that should be taken.

Much is on the ministry’s plate, and it is expected to achieve the same degree of success, perhaps even more, in many other fundamental aspects.

So many other maladies exit that need to be addressed without delay, and addressed in parallel.

Among these are the curricula. 

The curricula need to be modernised so that the education students receive is relevant to the needs of our times and the future. 

Textbook-based education no longer cuts. There are so many other sources and resources, in this ultra-modern world, that need to be tapped.

Too much of face-to-face education is both expensive and a waste of time. Online learning should be embedded as an essential part of learning.

Teacher-centred education is no longer fitting. What is required is a student-centred approach, with students taking ownership of their learning.

One of the most important objectives of schooling is not to enable the students to learn, as many would think, but to empower them to learn on their own.

An effective educational system is one that graduates independent learners, providing the students not with the information they need but with all the skills that enable them to obtain the information they need and the ability to deal with the information.

Management of learning by the students is a key skill, and so are teamwork and critical thinking.

Another important aim of schooling is, obviously, to enable the learners to succeed.

In this very context, the low pass rates in this year’s Tawjihi, though understandable for the reasons mentioned above, are not pleasing. 

For one thing, they point to a failure in the teaching/learning process itself, which has led to such results.

One could go on and on about what the ministry needs to do to uplift and modernise the system.

The point to stress here, however, is that ministry’s success in managing the Tawjihi should be both an indicator and an incentive to zero in on the wider and more important task: managing the learning.