The flawed "A"syndrome

Poor students,not smart ones, need extra coaching

The gathering of all the smart pupils into one class to ensure the highest grades from that “best” class is a standard practice in most schools today. The best teachers are also reserved for this class.

This practice of selecting the only good students also happens at private tuition centers, as some tuition teachers actually reject weak students. This is due to the obsession with the “A” syndrome of our education system

Schools do this to attain personal glory whereas private tuition centres do it to enhance their reputation by producing excellent results thereby attracting more students in subsequent years. Parents and pupils are rushing to register at those centres that produce very good results in the exams.. Who would want to sent their children to centres that do not produce excellent results?

Gone are the days when extra coaching and tuition were only meant for weak students. Today good tuition is only for smart students whereas such privileges are not available to the weaker one who really needs such help and guidance.

The “A” syndrome is also unfair to the pupils from the lower income families. Quality private tuition has become so expensive that it is beyond the reach of these poor pupils. Private one- to- one home tuition is becoming a standard for those who can afford them. Obviously the chance of a student without these expensive tuitions, scoring straight As, is much less than those who have those advantages.

Judging a student with just the number of As without considering his socio-economic background would be rather unfair to those from poorer families. Offering scholarships to only those with maximum As would offer an unfair advantage to those from affordable families who would have access to all the best tuition facilities.

There is a need to device a more comprehensive system to select candidates for scholarships and other awards, a system that takes into consideration of the socio-economic conditions and not just straight As.

Dr.Chris Anthony