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The assumption that the writer of this piece is an enemy of CGPA will lead you to misconstrue the gist of this piece. It has been explicitly established in my last article how Nigerian schooling system prioritises grades over knowledge thereby resulting in relentless pursuit and pressure to achieve high academic success. It is disheartening that the grading system that ought to enhance gradual development of students has now been made to promote envy and hatred among students. Nigerian students are no more attracted to the brilliance of their fellow classmates but are absolutely certain that their grades will surely surpass the ones that appear brilliant and intelligent. As a result, this piece aims to tease out how Nigerian grading system contributes to the death of functional learning in Nigeria with a view to establishing the essence of schooling beyond grades.
While many may think the writer’s intent is to disregard the importance of grading system, then one wonders what Nigerian students would be proud of, if there were no grades/CGPA in their education. It is so distressing seeing prospective leaders of tomorrow question the essence of reading when they have no examination to take. You are likely to have heard Nigerian students say “books on strike and pen go rest” after taking their final exams. Now, tell me the essence of grading system which only forces students to cram and fails to prepare them ahead for the betterment of humanity at large. At this juncture, in no uncertain terms, if Nigerian students are groomed to take learning and knowledge seriously the way they take grades and examinations, Nigeria will become one of the most thriving countries with functional and practical education. Rather, grading system has been reduced to serve as a major determinant of knowledge. Even a student of English that cannot tell the nine parts of speech apart when used in context now believes he/she knows grammar because his/her result shows “grade A” in grammar. Students of English who are unable to construct grammatical sentences proudly and successfully sail through many departments of English in Nigeria with excellent certification. Even the government that celebrate your CGPA won’t dare trust their kids with you, they rather take their children abroad to be taught by a third class Nigerian graduate whose brilliance and intelligence pave the way for him/her to get a teaching job in the white men’s institutions.
I wonder the essence of orientation given to fresh students who just gain entrance to higher institutions. First, students must be made to realise the value of education beyond cramming for excellent certification. It must be made clear that education is the acquisition of knowledge and not acquisition of certification. Witnessing the type of schooling system Nigeria is nurturing won’t leave you in shock when you hear a student commits suicide because of low grade/ CGPA. It has never occurred to me that a Nigerian student takes his/her life because he/she doesn’t possess the required knowledge, but innumerable are cases of Nigerian students who take their own lives because they do not possess impressive grades. It now appears that the easiest way to punish or deal with Nigerian students is by tampering with their grades.They don’t care if you call them birdbrains_”who book help” is the slangy reply you likely get from them. While students should be blamed for such suicidal acts, condemnation should largely go to Nigerian schooling system that prioritises grades over knowledge and makes the schooling system look like if you don’t get the grades, you won’t have the grace. Nigerian educational system has been made to appear like a battle ground where students compete with one another to get the highest CGPA. Invigilators surprisingly witness students collect extra sheets during exams but they hardly see them do extra reading after exams. Sadly, students are no longer moved by the intelligence and brilliance of even their lecturers let alone their fellow classmates. To many students, if you can’t give them a test or examination, you don’t deserve to lecture or give them notes because they see lecture notes as nothing but ordinary papers whose internalisation only guarantees them excellent grades. Indeed, in the rat race for grades, the very spirit of education has lost its value.
With all these being said, ours will be a great country with functional and practical education, if proper orientation is given to students on the real essence of schooling beyond acquiring certification. Students must be made to understand that education is the acquisition of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values and schooling is one of its agents. Students’ orientation should uncover the fact that western education helps unravel the hidden potential of students thereby making them explore the pleasure that comes with learning without necessarily being under pressure while reading to take school exams. Most importantly, Nigerian grading system must, to some reasonable extent, be made to watch over gradual intellectual improvement of students. Consequently, grading system must encourage popular intellectual participation among students and not be made to appear like a monster whose aim is to snatch breath out of students. If learning is for personal growth, students should be encouraged not to prioritise grades over brilliance. They must be motivated to ask themselves the essence of distinction if it cannot help put poverty into extinction.
Let me sum up this piece by establishing the reality that the prioritisation of grades over knowledge is highly detrimental and unhealthy to the overall development of education in Nigeria. Hence, the alarming rate of depression and suicidal thoughts over grades can be drastically reduced when Nigerian schooling system makes students see the value and essence of education beyond acquiring excellent certification.
*Kenny Ola writes from the Department of English Language, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.*
