The following is from an essay by a Form V student.He is a repeater and is sitting for his SC in a couple of months. The extract gives us food for thought and raises certain fundamental issues about the level of teaching and learning in our colleges.

“Comme J’étais dans le vacances, Mes Parents m’a offrit Une cadeaux. Il m’avait dit que je peux prendre un ami pour partir passé Une Semaine dans un l’hotel a Flic-en-flac.

J’avais choisi un de mes meilleure amis et s’était tres chère voisin qui s’appele Atish. Nous habitons tout Prés et ses Parents avait était d’accor de le laissé partir avec moi. Nous prenon un bus ala gare de Quatre-borne pour y aller.

Quand nous avions l’entrée labas, ils avaient des Personnes qui nous avons dit « bienvenue. Il avait aussi des servants qui avait pris nos affaire. Pour y ammené dans not chambre. Mon ami et moi nous avons a resté dans un seul chambre.

Il y avait des tourists qui sorté des autres pays. Il y avait de piscin. Nous avons déjà passé quatre jour a l’hotel. Quand nous avons sortir nous avons parti dans un restaurants qui était a flic-en-flac.’’

This student has been systematically promoted since Form I. He has been obtaining the strict minimum in his subjects in order to pass his examinations. And everybody – from parents to the student himself, from the teacher to the Head of Department, and from the Assistant Rector to the Rector – has been satisfied with it.

No one, it seems, has bothered to draw the student’s attention to the fact that carelessness in the presentation of his work is penalized. He has grown up under the impression that he can write in whatever way he wants and he can still gain the marks. Leniency in correction can lead students to commit the same errors again and again.

It is unacceptable that a Form V student, a repeater on top of it, should write the way he does. His level being poor concerning essay-writing, one can assume that he will commit the same mistakes in the other components, like Comprehension and Translation.

Some points of reflection

Had the student been advised right from the beginning that carelessness leads to loss of marks, would his level of writing have been so mediocre? Is teaching being correctly done in our colleges ? Has the student ever been told that it is preferable to do one thing well rather than do five things badly? Has he ever been made aware that sloppy work will not be tolerated and that quality matters? Is grammar, spelling and punctuation being rightly explained to slow learners? Has sufficient consolidation work been carried out to help those who have trouble with language?

Attitude is crucial in pedagogy. Many students adopt an ‘‘I-don’t-care’’ attitude. This evidently plays against them. If one does not show interest in what one is doing, the results will certainly be below average. But what has been done by teachers to transform the negative attitude of the above student?

It is clear that all throughout his years at school, teachers have been complaisant towards him. This attitude on their part explains the student’s low level in writing.

What efforts are being made in our colleges to urge students to read quality newspapers, magazines and books?

Special attention

Every student needs to be given a fair chance to improve his results, whether in internal examinations or external. And this is where remedial classes come into play.

There is a need to assist those with problems and time must be allowed in the time-table for this category of students so that they may catch up.

With well-planned and well-conducted remedial education, slow learners can improve to a certain extent. Some more marks can make a difference in their results.

Slow learners must not be made to feel that they are doomed to obtain the lowest marks possible, or to fail. Nor should they be made to feel any complex. They need some special attention. They need to learn at their own pace.

It’s their right, after all.