There is more to exam results than actual tests

Q: I am a disappointed parent because my son failed to perform to my expectation. I thought he would score high marks in the KCPE exam but he got less than 300 marks out of 500 and I am thinking of asking him to repeat Class Eight. We argued with my husband about letting him take private tuition, but he (husband) insisted that there was no need. I am one parent who wants children to do extra work outside class. The boy does not mind repeating, but I feel he is doing it because we want him to. Is his performance likely to improve in the coming year or are we wasting time?

In my primary school, some boys and girls in the class ahead of us were forced to repeat a class. Some of us went to our parents to give them the equivalent of a “profit warning”. We told them that because some people who had already covered the syllabus were now in our class; our end of term position might be lower than they were accustomed to.

We were, like investors in a listed company, preparing our parents for a lower-than-expected class performance.
I would like to share with you my mother’s response to this warning. She explained to me that the people who repeat do so because of poor, not good class performance. The able boys and girls have moved to the next higher class, and those left in our class have academic challenges.

I share this story with you to encourage you to look beyond the 200 marks your son did not get!

School performance depends on very many factors, and we will here look at some.

When you say that your son has failed to perform to your expectation, what exactly do you mean? Has he, for example, always been an ‘A’ student who was predicted by his teachers to score above 400?

In the alternative, has he always been (like you and his father) average student who scores between 250-300 marks? If the boy is like his parents in this regard, then it is possible that you are pushing him beyond his ability. If on the other hand his teachers are as surprised as you are by this result, then you might ask for the exam to be remarked.

On the other hand, there might be an obvious explanation for the poor performance, this first time.

For some children, examination time can lead to extreme stress that itself could lead to poor performance. Some children even suffer from panic attacks and are unable to write the examination. Those that are known to have this condition can seek assistance ahead of the examination.

For a significant number of girls, the problem can be traced to their menses. In the three days that the exam is done, if a girl is either having the mood swings so common during the premenstrual period, or if she is in pain for the same reason, the performance of eight years of school is ruined by a single natural cycle of womanhood!

Such a girl must not have her future judged on the basis of this single examination result!

Coming back to your son, there might be other explanations to this sudden change of fortunes. For example, you tell us that you and your husband were arguing about letting him take private tuition. “He (husband) insisted that there was no need.”

What else were you and his father arguing about? Did he worry that he might not go to high school because his father was due for retrenchment that he became aware of?

Is it possible that the true reason the father refused to allow him to do private tuition is because of a financial strain that the boy became aware of?

Some children do badly unexpectedly because of factors unrelated to home or the child himself.

Some teachers apply too much pressure on their bright students to, in a sense; uplift the school’s mean score. Such children are given so much work and pressure that by the time the exam comes, they have burnt out. Is this what happened in the academy your son attended?

As you can see, many factors come into play when considering your child’s poor performance.

Two more things must be said about you and your son. Firstly, why do you want to break school regulations? Is it not true that private tuition has been prohibited by government? Was this the point your husband was making? I would hope so.

If you teach your son to disregard the law at this age, then be prepared to visit him in Kamiti in future.
As you bring them up, so they will become! Much as you might not like the law, it is your duty to teach your children to submit to the law.

The second matter, which is indeed your true question, is to do with whether he should repeat or not.

As you can see, each child has a particular reason for “failing”. It is unlikely that a below average student will improve simply by repeating a class! At the end of the day, the decision as to whether he goes on or repeats will be yours as his parents, in consultation with his primary school teachers who know (or ought to know) his true potential.