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In this blog post, I would like to share my thoughts about 3 negative impacts of promoting students without exams.

It can also impact the overall growth of a child.

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Let’s dive right in here!

The New Culture- Promoting Students

The Current Situation-

Covid-19 has done its damage, and all of us were impacted in one way or the other. Many of us lost our loved ones while the others had to suffer financially.

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Furthermore, the education sector had a severe impact and massive losses; the schools barely opened in the last 18 months, and the online classes could not fulfill their potential.

 

 

We have again come to the examination period- during which the exams for all the boards were to be conducted but likewise the last year, there are significantly fewer chances that we shall have the exams this year.

Although vaccination is now widely available, the baseless rumors have resulted in lower acceptance amongst the less educated people.

The current toll of India is around 35000+ cases each day, which would possibly rise if students are imposed at the risk of physical exams.

It can be judged that the only way to move the education system is by opting to promote all students without exams similar to the last year, but would it help?

 

2020 vs. 2021!

Conditions are actually pretty different this year compared to the last, mainly because schools were closed down during the end of the semester last year, which meant that students had received all the knowledge they were meant to and had attempted all the tests that were conducted during the year, only the main exams couldn’t be undertaken.

Therefore, teacher/school assessed grades were widely used for high school boards, while the direct promotion was made for middle and early schooling.

Last year, the method was quite fair as grading was made using logarithms that used past records, present performance, and teacher’s prediction to draw up a student’s grade.

Although there were some critics of the method, the overall picture presented a fair view.

However, fast forward to the current situation, students have barely attended school, and the online classes weren’t taken as seriously as they should be.

A promotion would mean that students who took classes throughout the odds are provided the same fruit as students who showed ignorance towards their studies and future.

We can’t say that all of the students took advantage of the situation, but it definitely was the majority.

Some legit cases had their troubles initially, but most of them, with the 18 months available, could have made the classes productive.

According to surveys, teachers have suggested a 50% overall reduction in their online class attendance compared to the physical ones.

Here is the story to make it easy for you to understand the criticality of promoting students without exams.

 

The Mango Gardens

Let’s take the example of two friends who used to grow mangoes in their gardens and supply them to the government.

The state was responsible for paying the revenue to the two businessmen.

Amit was a hardworking entrepreneur who wished to have the best financial conditions for his family.

He used to take good care of his garden, ensuring that all his crops had a satisfactory amount of water.

The pesticides were sprayed in adequate quantities at the right time.

Similarly, he assured that rain wouldn’t destroy his farm, so he made the arrangements.

On the other hand, his friend Anuv was a spoiled kid that inherited the farm from his father; he couldn’t have been less concerned about the crops.

He hired some gardeners to care for his garden, but they weren’t as efficient as they could be because he never held them accountable.

After each season, the state would pay Amit and Anuv based on their production, where Amit always had the upper hand.

 

 

The Locust’s Storm-

One year, a storm of locusts took the region under attack; they attacked all the fields regardless of their size.

It was a terrible time, and no solution was evident. Amit was very worried, but he soon decided to face the events and did his best.

He showered pesticides over all his plants and ensured that the water level was consistently high and that any wastage of dead locusts was cleared.

Although his technique was expensive, it brought decent results; his production got back to an acceptable level.

On the other hand, Anuv felt it was time to relax, as he had no solution; he fired his employees to cut back on the expenses and stopped gardening until the situation worsened.

Time kept moving, and it was finally the time to submit fruits to the government; Amit offered his fruits while Anuv presented a letter saying that the locusts destroyed his crops; hence he couldn’t produce anything.

Is It Fair?

As a fair majority of people shared the same excuse as Anuv, the government decided that it would be unfair to leave these farmers alone in times of difficulty.

Hence, all farmers should be paid a lump sum to cope with the situation and pay their bills.

Although the basis of the policy was correct, it put all the Amits and the Anuvs on the same scale, which is never right.

I am pretty sure that you would agree with our view that paying Anuv the same as Amit is clearly unfair.

Now, do you think it is fair to implement an all-promotion rule?

Currently, the problem isn’t about canceling the free grade for students; it is about finding a better solution that could be a fair test of students’ hard work throughout the year.

This article will discuss several ways to test students’ abilities if physical exams can’t be conducted.

 

Here are 3 negative impacts of promoting students.

3 Negative Impacts of Promoting Students Without Exam

It may seem that promoting students is the best alternative for students just because of the unexpected circumstances.

However, it isn’t the fact. There are numerous flaws associated with promoting students without assessing their progress.

Let’s discuss the three significant impacts of promoting students without exams.

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The Unfair Way-

It wouldn’t be wrong to say it is unfair, involving any evaluation criteria.

The primary purpose of exams is to measure the progress of the students.

However, when it comes to promoting without exams, you would see there are no criteria to evaluate students’ progress.

For instance, if all the students are promoted with an “A+” grade, it would benefit students who haven’t made any efforts during the entire year.

Thus, causing unfairness. Furthermore, it may also distract and discourage diligent students.

The Long-Term Impact-

When the students are promoted without any specific criteria, the impacts will be observed in the long run.

For instance, “Higher Education Studies” results matter a lot when students apply for “Undergraduate Programs.” If the students had identical grades, it would likely halt the merit criteria.

Therefore, it must be ensured that the promotion of students is based on specific and strict criteria.

 

Distracting Students From Studies-

Creating a sense of competition, encouraging students to study, helping to self-analyze one’s performance, and boosting self-esteem are some of the benefits of exams.

The culture of promotion without exams may distract the students from learning, and Furthermore, it may also negatively influence their mindset.

Therefore, promotion must be based on criteria that focus on their studies.

These were the three significant drawbacks associated with promoting students without assessments.

Although, promoting students is the need of the hour. But there must be specific criteria to evaluate the students’ progress and then encourage them.

The promotion of students should be based on their most recent academic performance.

The Educational Institution should draft particular criteria for promotions that ensure fairness, transparency and measure the students’ past performances to identify whether they are eligible for promotion or not.

So far, I have discussed the impacts of promoting students without exams. Numerous ways can be considered to ensure fairness and transparency.

Below, I have mentioned the other excellent alternatives for promoting students without exams and assessing their progress.

 

 

Online Viva-

Online Viva is a great way to conduct exams, and it lets the teacher have a one-to-one session with the student.

The benefit of the online viva is that it enables the teacher to measure the progress of every individual student.

Since the meeting is one-to-one, the odds of cheating are maximized to a greater extent. Thus, ensuring transparency and fairness.

Furthermore, it doesn’t require many resources to conduct viva; the teachers or instructor may show it using various tools such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Skype.

Below are some benefits of conducting online viva for the instructor and students/learners.

• Easier to mark and issue the results.
• Reduced administrative burden.
• Flexibility to take exams anywhere, both for the instructor and learners.
• Reduced logistical costs.
• It’s more environmentally friendly.
• Increased security.
• Assessments that are accessible to all.

 

Secure Browser-

The following approach is conducting exams through Secure Browsers. Secure browsing is critical in preventing cheating.

When the student/candidate attempts malpractice, the browser will suspend the exams, disqualifying the student from the exam.

The following manipulations are prevented by secure browsers.

• It will notify the student if they attempt to open a new tab. If this occurs three times in a row, the exam screen will be terminated, and the candidate will be disqualified.
• If a candidate uses a keyboard, the exam screen will be turned off immediately.

 

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The Conclusion

Despite promoting students without exams, the educational institutions and government should consider other alternatives for conducting exams.

Promoting students may be the most straightforward approach in such circumstances, but its impacts on students’ learning are highly damaging.

It would impact their productivity and brain development, divert their minds from studies, etc.

Therefore, it must be ensured that promoting students must be made by considering its long-term impacts.

Finally, it comes to the end of our blog. I hope you found this blog helpful and enjoyed reading it.

 

You may share your views about whether it’s the right decision to promote students or not. I would be happy to read your comments.

It’s goodbye, for now, we will meet on another day with another topic.

 

Thank you, everyone, for your extensive response to my previous blogs and staying connected.

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