By Olusegun Fashakin

REWARDS for hard work and diligence are often not equivalent to the process or training. Prize-giving day is just an event but the price for the prizes takes a procedure. The procedure will require unflinching discipline and commitment to the task. When looking forward to the day, your threshold for unrelenting perfection will increase.

Recently, most schools have been conducting a valedictory programme for their learners. Graduands and valedictorians are recognised specially at the end-of-the-year party. Among all, the best among the best gets the rewards. Overall best students become the talk of the moment for their extraordinary achievements. 

Prizes, in most situations, are evidence of good outings. A show of reward for outstanding performance and exceptional results. Rewards for sporting abilities–for skilful display, medals for standing out among peers in a competition and best performing students among colleagues in a field of study or basic classes for grades. For performing better than your folks, gifts are given and recognition comes with accolades.   

Academic laurels come in categories depending on your level of academic pursuits, classes of students, field of study and choice of specialisation. Groups of learners embark on academic adventure with different interests and intentions to attain a degree or qualification. In the course of study, gradually the best will begin to emanate and then the competition gets tougher if there is a strong opponent.

This may lead to a stringent yardstick for final outcome. These measures may become stricter with the numbers of interested competitors and also with level of understanding. How much of the contents of course of study each participating individual knows will be placed on a test on some parameters. 

Parameters like comprehension, knowledge, understanding and even application. Some major ways of test construction are verified by professionals in the field to ratify the standard. Standardisation of tests is subjected to a series of evaluation and correlation before administration. Some professional examinations are scrutinised by the professional bodies for the level of requirements and sanctioning. If after all these expeditions, the numbers of outstanding students are not corresponding to the expectations, an internal review of the system may reveal the challenges. 

Learners are always at the receiving end of show of prowess. Examiners will only prepare the test and engage the services of invigilators as well as supervisors to enforce discipline during the conduct of examination. In actual and perfect readiness for the trial, a hall is prepared and made conducive for both writing and other means of test – visuals, audios and computer based.

Some of these infrastructures may not accurately commensurate the preparation, as some facilities may be malfunctioning and even some fixed assets inefficient for the task. By and large, the learners bear the brunt. The students seek a solution to the delay so as to salvage the time and come out flying! 

After all these panorama, the results suggest who deserves the prize. The results may not avail us of the process or the procedure before the outcome. What we all celebrate is the position. The second runner-up gets fair applause but not as much as the first runner-up. The first position receives accolades from the congregation for a job well done. The celebration doesn’t stop at the venue of celebration, they go back home to celebrate and leave other well-wishers with mixed feelings. 

A feeling that the authenticity of that process should be tried and queried. Why? The challenger of the process wants to know the reason the first position didn’t go his way. Of all the aforementioned processes of preparing for examination, he was not involved for his own candidate but wanted to be part of the success story.

There is a price for the prize. Examination, they say, is not the true test of knowledge. There is a reason to align your wards with the appropriate and required fundamentals of the examination. Some winners spent time reading and rehearsing with ample time on continuous learning and perfection before examination. For a two-hour examination, there were days of sleepless nights and even weeks of comparing notes.   

We accrue so much importance on examinations and fail to prepare for the same. Domains of education permit the test constructor to assess learners on Cognitive, Affective and Psychomotor. The cognitive domain recognises the memory of the learners as a form of expression for evaluation. The learners are tested on content-based materials, like reading and comprehending to recall at a later time of test. 

Another domain is the affective that reiterates the emotions and affection as well as passion for things of life. The level of interest of learners as it relates to relationship and team work in their academic voyage will be examined. This domain is rarely or fairly patronised during examination, so, most learners are not privileged to express themselves to reflect their emotions. Some areas of studies exclude affective domains, perhaps, unintentionally or unprofessionally. 

A fair look into the third domain should reflect the incomplete method of evaluation. The psychomotor should assess the physical prowess of a learner as it relates to sporting activities as skilful display in terms of creativity. Institutions of technology are saddled with this responsibility but not solely, to evaluate learners on how much of their skills could be rewarded.

In primary, secondary and even tertiary institutions, a singular way, only known by many to test the physical abilities of learners is through sports. Inter house sports are not just to entertain but also to assess in the area of psychomotor. Former report sheets of these students carry this segment boldly but recently elusive. 

Parents get disturbed over a ward who is not recognised on the list of the academic winners. They worry over their children as they compare the award lists along with other parents. They have only come to the prize giving occasion to witness the outcome of their preparations. In most cases, these preparations may not translate to their expectations. The outcome is premised on so many parameters which span through the state of the mind of the child while writing the exam to the level of concentration of the same during class delivery. 

What we fail to accept is that failure is not failure until you accept defeat. We learn new things from setbacks. While we grope in dismay towards the temporary shortcomings, there are lessons to learn. It is dangerous to instil in our kids the art of competition that breeds contempt. As much as it is good to be the best, it shouldn’t be evil. It shouldn’t be usurped. It shouldn’t be manipulated. Summer classes are presumably antidote to the height of academic pressures for learners, however, reverse is the case.

Fashakin, a seasoned educator, wrote via [email protected]