Many HSC students throughout the MIA are preparing for their Higher School Certificate exams, and fast learning about the pressure put on modern-day students.
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It’s unjustified.
Exams are the capstone of 13 years of education.
But instead of being a moment of reflection and celebration, teens are suffering more than ever under the burden of expectation.
The Australian education system demands students mark their final weeks in the education system by being subjected to rigorous assessment to earn automatic qualification for the next level of education.
One has to wonder why kids can’t be tested over the course of a year, two years, 13 years, and be subjected to less intense pressure sustained over a longer period of time – much like how adults become successful in the workforce.
At no stage in adult life will almost all people have to sit an exam as part of their job description, so it’s rough to judge credentials for tertiary education spots purely on two hours of assessment.
But it’s the way it’s always been, so don’t expect it to change.
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What has changed over the past few decades is the growing emphasis on university and the importance of working harder than ever to achieve quality results during the final year of high school.
It’s seen a glut of professional workers graduating university to find a lack of demand in their fields of expertise.
It’s a contrast to our parents’ and grandparents’ educations, when education paved a less defining path.
Teens were more literal in following their dreams knowing slogging school out until the end wouldn’t necessarily open doors otherwise closing.
Today, while trades, apprenticeships and work experience are all still offering those opportunities, the education system subjects kids to unnecessary stress on the back of pressure to hit a home run at exam time and keep their life plans on track.
What these students need to have emphasised goes beyond how important exams are – kids are smart enough to know that by Year 12.
The message needs to teach kids working hard to get ahead applies beyond the classroom, and exam time isn’t life defining if you don’t want it to be.