I, Mohammed Zuber, a concerned Year 13 student, wish to express my views and opinions on the current decision undertaken by the Minister for Education, which is in regards to the re-introduction of the scaling system effective in 2024.
As stated by the Minister for Education, Viliame Gavoka, “removing the scaling exercise places children at a disadvantage compared to their peers worldwide.”
However, the re-introduction of this scaling system will have a dramatic effect on the students’ external marks, as scaling conceals the raw marks and does not reflect the students true achievement, which will limit the students’ scholarships, as after the scaling process, the mark of an individual may go down.
Moreover, the scaling of external marks was last done in the year 2014, as in the year 2015, Dr Mahendra Reddy, the Minister for Education then, made a decision to remove this scaling system.
Now, after a lapse of almost 10 years, this system is being introduced again without proper thinking and without understanding its disadvantages.
“From the mean marks, you can see what has been actually happening to our education system because of the scaling system,” Mr Reddy said.
The scaling system will have a major im¬pact on students’ external marks, especially in Years 12 and 13.
This is not the first time we are witnessing this system, and from experience, we all know that this will not be advantageous but rather cause a drop in students’ external marks.
Furthermore, to all those concerned Year 12 and 13 students, along with concerned parents and guardians, to raise their views on the matter, as this is about the future of our young minds, the future of our students that struggled from kindergarten to primary school and then finally to high school, until a time came where we found out that this scaling system is being reintroduced.
I urge the relevant authorities in Fiji to take this matter really seriously, as this is about the future for us all.
If this scaling system was to be reintroduced, then why did it stop in 2015? And why is it being re-introduced again this year? when we all know that it brings us students nothing good but hope for suicide and many other unsatisfactory victories.
I hope this matter is dealt with. If the ministry can promise to be fair and just, then they are to relook into their decisions and make fair solutions that not only impact the slow learners but also the ones that fully deserve it.
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