Success in education is more than ‘A’ in exams

What is educational success? Many people associate this with passing exams and advancing one’s academic achievements.

They think it is scoring As and transiting from one level to another. Others think it is enrolling more children in school.

This definition emphasises the blanket assessment of a group of students with little regard for individual achievement.

There is great difference between going to school and getting an education.

Youth can go to school but never acquire an education. Not all children can score grade “A”, but that does not mean that they are not educationally successful.

So, is there another way to determine educational success for each student?

There are three ways to do this. First, emphasis should be placed on students’ motivation to go to school.

Youth who have their own reason for going to school and have set their goals tend to excel in academics.

Young people can push themselves to succeed academically to avoid difficult situations or pull themselves up to change the state of their lives.

There is also the extrinsic motivation from parents and society. Parents who want their children to succeed are supportive and encouraging.

Young people often work hard to please their parents and guardians and to be recognised by society for their achievements.

Successful communities boast successful schools.

GOAL-ORIENTED
The second aspect of educational success is school engagement, which makes a student enjoy learning, feel appreciated and part of a community, and that they are gaining from the experience.

Youth who are engaged in their school work will do all that they can to ensure that they achieve their goals.

Studies have shown that schools with a good climate (high expectations, parent involvement, staff development, intimate learning environments and connection of learning with student’s interest and career plans) are more likely to have better academic achievement than those with more personnel.

This means that schools that blame their underachievement on lack of teachers should change their focus to ensure that they have a good school climate with the resources they have.

Third is the future goals of the student. Most students who transition through primary and secondary school want to further their life goals.

This may include enrolling in a tertiary institution for vocational training to gain skills for the purpose of getting employment.

It is important for youth to associate academic learning with their future goals.

IMPORTANT CONCEPT
So, what really is educational success? It should be a subjective report from each student on their personal desire to go to school, a report of enjoyment of learning as well as a belief that they are attaining something beneficial for their future.

Educational success is first and foremost individualised achievement and secondly, community success.

Every child should enjoy educational success at every step of their journey rather than focusing continuously on top students and institutions and their achievements.

The focus should be on each student and the firm belief that they can contribute to the development of self, family, and community at every step of their academic journey.

Dr Mwendwa is a graduate student at Kansas State University. [email protected]