Granted that many changes have taken place over the years for many positive reasons, but I still wonder whether exams are really necessary. Let me clarify.

I understand that the exam provides a standardised measurement of the performance of a cohort of students. It separates the stronger students from the weaker ones, and serves as a fair system to assess suitability for admission into various academic programmes. I am not advocating for the total abolishment of exams. Instead, I am asking us to think about the necessity of it in the primary school years, and how we can still assess our young using other methods.

Assessment through pencil and paper is a very old system that really does not fairly reflect a child's true abilities. I do not understand the logic of depending on that one paper on that one day to reflect all that child has been taught during the course of the year. Talk about a major stressor. On top of that, there are many factors that can affect how a child performs on that paper. Pressure - from parents, teachers, peers. Emotional health - how much pressure has been placed on the child, how much is he able to cope with it. Physical health - feeling unwell, lack of sleep, etc. Stress can bring about memory loss and the ability to think clearly and quickly within the time limit. How well one does in the exam also depends a lot on how much practice one has had on the 'right' kind of assessment papers. I have realised over time that, if we were lucky, we would chance upon styles of assessment questions in the huge variety of assessment books available commercially, that may be similar to those that are set in the exam papers, and thus my daughter would be able to answer them well. I have worked with my daughter since P1, and I know her strengths and weak areas. Although she is not of GEP material, her performance on the exam most certainly does not reflect her abilities. Marks are lost due to carelessness. In mathematics - a missing digit, or transferring the wrong number from the working column into the answer space; minor spelling errors in Science and English, for example, leaving out an 's' at the end of a word. Sometimes, such losses can make a difference in being placed into a particular band of scores. To the teacher, does this mean that she did not understand the questions? Does it mean that a particular child in class is better or worse than her? Does it mean that she should be placed in Class D rather than in Class C? The answer to all these questions is a resounding 'No'. So why have the exam? Surely there are other ways of assessing the kids - during the daily interaction with the teacher; quizzes; projects; presentations, etc. These are less stressful methods and definitely provide a lot more realistic pictures of the children.

Our kids are still young, and their bodies are not built to handle this sort of stress at this stage. Stress on their young minds and bodies will be reflected on stress in their cells. This will translate to weaker health. Our kids have a lot to deal with already in their growing years - growing out of babyhood, finding their place in their family unit; developing and maintaining friendships; learning values, etc. By all means, provide them with knowledge through the curriculum. Teach our kids about the world, let our kids be active learners rather than passive participants; encourage them to question, to think out of the box. This, in turn, encourages creativity. Interest to learn, independent thinking, building strong foundations - these are essential, foundation skills that we should help them build; skills they will carry with them throughout life. Why bog them down at this age with exams and the mindless pursuit of marks?

They do not understand the importance of this. What difference does it make if a child gets a 60 or a 90? To the adult, it may mean the difference between someone who is 'smarter'; someone who has had a better grasp of the information taught (of course, these are not necessarily true all the time). To the child, it only means a difference between having to return home to a disappointed parent and the promise of a reward. The very fragile self-esteem of the young child can be deeply affected, such that they may carry it with them for life. Why do this to our children? Wait till they are older, more mature to understand what this all means before introducing exams. That is when they are a lot more motivated to study on their own.

I dare say that I can speak for many parents when I say that exam preparation time can be a terribly traumatic experience - just like pulling teeth. Many times, I find myself tearing as I watch my child fall asleep, for having put her through yet another stressful evening of working through a series of assessment questions, with a somewhat generous dose of scolding out of sheer frustration at myself and at her. Don't get me wrong. I do not demand Band 1 grades at all. After all, how one performs in school does not directly correlate with performance at the work place later on. It is just the demands of the exam, the sheer amount of material to cover and of course the child's inability to comprehend the meaning of the necessity of it all that makes it all the more painful. What I have presented is nothing radical. It is something that is being done in countries like Australia. Friends who have migrated there have told me that their children are a lot happier there, not just because there are no exams. They are happier because they are learning better. At the end of the day, isn't that what we want? Happy children with positive learning experiences.

It is no wonder that we have developed a nation of non-independent thinkers. Discussions with family members and friends have drawn similar conclusions. Many of our local workers are diligent and are very good at doing what they are told, thanks to years to training as 'good' students who listen to the teacher and never question why. What happens when problems arise? These workers would depend on their seniors for further instruction, rather than attempting to problem solve or to venture a solution for the perceived fear that the superior would be unhappy. Worse, they do not have the confidence in themselves to believe that their suggestions may be useful at all. Many times, when suggestions are given by others, these same workers would be ones who would protest the feasibility due to their difficulty with seeing the bigger picture or from another perspective. All is not lost, however. It just takes a lot more time and experience for them to learn. Some, unfortunately, remain narrow focused, despite their intelligence, while the more creative ones would advance a lot faster in their careers. So, why wait till then? Why not start them young? Children are naturally curious. Their minds are naturally curious and are filled with wonder about our world. Why stop something that occurs naturally? It happens for a reason. A very good reason. Our children are our future, do not damage them. Invest in them.

Susanna Tan Po-Ling (Ms)