Passing of school exams do not determine one’s intelligence nor success in life, ability to learn and apply the learning has a huge impact on life success.
The passing of school exams does not determine one’s intelligence, nor success in life. It is the ability to learn and to apply the knowledge that makes a huge impact on one’s life success.
We are all taught from young that playing is important. Why? Because that’s how we learn. For myself, playing and learning had a whole different meaning from a young age. Due to my then undiagnosed learning disability, I did not have the luxury of playing to learn, instead, I had to learn to score, to pass examinations, to qualify for higher learning, with the hope of obtaining an official paper qualification in order to make a living, as told by my parents, schools and the society I live in.
My learning was a means to an end, it was never about cultivating a passion for knowledge. Going to school was stressful and my days were all about memorising and doing whatever I could to pass the dreaded examinations. I hated learning in this manner and it showed, I failed badly despite my best attempts, and at the age of 9 years old, I was kicked out of school and denied a secondary-level education.
Fortunately, I went to a missionary school to complete my ‘O’-levels and later enrolled for a business degree, where I discovered Education for Living and not Education for Making a Living. My entire world view shifted and life was never the same again. I embraced learning with a passion learned non-stop and found learning opportunities everywhere, even in my failures. Mastering the art of education my way had helped developed my curiosity and passion for learning and took away my fear of doing something new and the fear of failure. The unknown just needs to be known and this was essential to build a multi-award-winning Biotec Headhunting business with zero experience and not much cash.
“No system in the world should ever take away the opportunity for a child to be educated.”
No system in the world should ever take away the opportunity for a child to be educated. Passion for learning needs to be cultivated from childhood, and learning should be a fun exercise and not one mired in stress.
When education is all about passing examinations, it rips away the joy of learning and leaves behind students paralysed by a fear of failure.
“Do not give up on your child regardless of how many times he or she fails in school, exam score do not determine one’s intelligence nor success in life.”
To create a new generation of leaders and innovators, parents and our education systems need to prioritise these three shifts :
Instead of teaching the students how to score, teach them how to learn.
Create learning as a fun and inspiring exercise, this will develop curiosity and problem-solving skills.
Make education for living and not education for making a living.
