DEBATE: Should schools be ranked?

Ranking schools undermines learning Having been a student that was ranked throughout my education period through report cards, I should be the last person to suggest that ranking should be eliminated from schools. Schools are ranked because students are ranked. So, as long as the students perform poorly, the school will also perform poorly. So, I think the question should be; should students be ranked? We all know how our parents feel proud to go around telling everyone with time on their hands that their child passed with so many ‘A’s that they can’t spin them off their fingers. How their child goes to the best performing school; however that is the side of a parent. What about the child, does ranking them do any good? How does it make a child feel when others are being rewarded for good ranks while he/she is being left aside just because they didn’t perform better than the other kids? It is good to know how children are performing in schools but it is equally important to show students how they can benefit from understanding; the problem is how their progress is communicated. How this is done can have a big impact on the academic life of a student. It is important to understand that some people pass highly because they are talented and good at what they are studying, which is something normal. So, what happens when a student is consistently ranked last? Students lose interest in studies because even the little effort they put in, regardless of the ranks, is not recognised. Secondly, they tend to become lazy and opt for simple tasks or studies. This is because they are rational and not because they are lazy. After all, if the point is to get an A, your odds are better if you avoid taking intellectual risks. Third, students tend to think in a more superficial fashion and to forget what they learned more quickly when ranks are involved. To put it positively, students who are lucky enough to be in schools (or classrooms), where they don’t get letters or number ranks, are more likely to want to continue exploring whatever they’re learning, more likely to want to challenge themselves, and more likely to think deeply. The evidence on all of these effects is very clear, and it seems to apply to students of all ages. This ultimately helps schools to perform better. So, what can be done instead of ranking students? Schools can use narrative or summarised reports detailing a student’s progress without any numbers involved, or even have parents, students and teacher meeting together to discuss how a student is performing. Teachers should also engage students and talk to them about their progress. Ask a student what they feel about their progress, where they feel like they need improvement and what can be done. Lastly, if they were to rank themselves, what grade do they think they deserve? This is because a student has a better understanding of how they performed and is able to decide if the ranking system is fair. Lastly, parents should minimise the importance of ranks and instead start asking their kids what they’re doing, not about how well the teacher thinks they’re doing. karemeradean@gmail.com We need a competitive education system I find it unrealistic when schools are not ranked at the time when the Ministry of Education is releasing Primary Leaving Exams, O’ Level and A’ Level results. Not ranking schools can be compared to students sitting for their final exams and when the results are released they are not graded. Not ranking schools will hinder competitiveness in our education system. Being ranked as the best school is a reputation that comes with a cost, which involves hard work and team spirit. When schools are ranked, it gives those that are lagging behind a chance to work hard to make it to the top of the list the following year. Ranking schools also motivates students to study hard and excel, and thus make their fellow students and school proud. Nothing can beat a teacher’s joy when his or her students perform better than other students in the country. Competitiveness brings out the enthusiasm to excel. And the enthusiasm to excel is backed by recognition, especially if the school is announced as the best performing school. Ranking schools based on performance not only gives the school’s administration self-improvement, it also gives parents the chance to monitor and know the kind of school they are sending their child to. To this day I have failed to understand Rwanda Examination Board’s excuse that ranking schools promotes exam malpractices. A story published in The New Times on January 14, 2015 titled “Does ranking schools promote exam malpractices?” indicated that the culture of ranking created an unhealthy competition as some local leaders and schools engaged in malpractices for the sake of getting good grades. In the same story, Emmanuel Muvunyi, Deputy Director General in charge of examinations at REB proved that ranking and cheating have a connection, based on statistical evidence. Muvunyi revealed that cases of malpractices in PLE dropped to 88 last year from 1,324 in 2013, while in O’ level, they reduced to 93 down from 203 the previous year. Even with the above mentioned statistics I don’t think that should be the reason why schools should not be ranked. I believe that the malpractices will exist even if the ranking of schools is scrapped. The best way to deal with malpractices is to set up strict measures that ensure exams are not easily leaked instead of not grading schools. To be precise, ranking of schools is not only a parameter of motivation, it is also helpful for schools in planning how their curriculum and services can lead to producing the best students in the country with a competitive spirit. doreen.umutesi@newtimes.co.rw

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DEBATE: Should schools be ranked?