Are beginning of term exams worth the bother?

As the beginning of the first term gets close, many schools are preparing exams for their students. Educationists say this practice is to encourage students make revision over the holidays and ensure that regular assessment is done. But this subject continues to attract mixed reactions. Daniel Byiringiro, a former student of Kagarama Secondary School, says from the time he started doing these exams, his academic performance improved considerably. “I started doing beginning of term exams in S4. Being the first time I was sitting them, I was a bit challenged but later I adapted. These exams helped me manage my time better during holidays, which made me become successful,” he says, adding that a student should at least reserve one to two hours per day for revision during the holidays. Derrick Gashegu, a Senior Five student at Lycée de Kigali, says these exams are so crucial in a way that they help students keep up with the feel of school. “These exams are very necessary and without them students would be dormant, which leads to poor grades. In the remaining days, students should be able to scale down the leisure activities and focus on their studies again,” Gashegu added. Toni Kasinja, a teacher from Fawe Girls’ school, notes that, “The reason we emphasise beginning of term exams is to encourage students to read during holidays since we found out that many of them don’t revise during holidays.” Fidele Muhirwa, another teacher from Groupe Scolaire Kicukiro, reiterates the need for students to sit these exams, but emphasizes that it should be in an organised way and at the right time. “Students need such exams, but again schools need to determine which term students need to have them. For instance, in our case, we have a big number of students, so if we started a term with exams we would lose about three weeks in marking them, given the fact that even the first term is too short,” he explains. “Schools are different, and indeed ours is unique. We do have special cases where our students can rarely get enough time to revise. For example, a student may be unable to do holiday revision if she’s working as the maid at home. However, as teachers, we try hard to help them; instead of giving beginning of term exams, we provide mid-term tests and make sure everyone participates,” Muhirwa adds. For Bibiche Latifah Keza, a student from Gashora Girls Academy, there’s no need for students to be given beginning of term exams. “I think written exams are not necessary. In this era, theory doesn’t matter; we need more practicals. Exams are just another period for students to cram topics ahead of the exam,” she says. “During holidays, I think students need to practise what they’ve learnt; volunteer in projects or even start up their own projects using skills they have been taught in school. Work internships can also help,” Keza says. Caglar Candir, the public relations officer of Edugate Education Consulting Services, says beginning of term exams are not necessary. “I don’t think students should sit these exams. The education system should be more practical,” Caglar notes.