Education is the key towards success for every country.It helps to
boost the economy and to generate democratic society. The
main resource of any country is Human Resource. If we’ll prepare
educated human in our society in advance by providing proper education
facilities to our younger generation, then we could move towards the
path of success.

If we look towards our Education system, there are many unveiled reasons
behind the de-motivation and poor academic performance of
students. Despite a great deal of effort since from the day of
independence, academic achievement among students in Pakistan continues
to lag behind. No doubt we are moving towards the successful future, but our education system some how, is hampering the progress of our country.

The results, which we see in matriculation, intermediate and graduation
are not up to mark.

The interest in students to achieve quality education is de-motivated
in the recent years.The only thing student require, is
Certificate/Degree with passing marks.

In the attempt to improve school results, the teacher educators and
education counselor are trying their level best to find the roots of
poor academic achievement of school students.Educational Psychologist
has also developed many tests, to judge and improve the skills of
students, but the real cause has not been founded till date, that what
makes the student frustrated to back out of education so easily?
Might be it’s the fault of Ministry of Education to develop lack of
integrated curriculum and wrong dimensional policies or it might be the
fault of a teacher, whose teaching style is not appropriate to the age
level students they teach, or its the problem of Learning Disability in
a child.

Some point the finger at the outrageous homework loads students given
by the teachers. Students are overburdened with academic demands of
questionable value and, as a result, end up indifferent to studies,
exhausted, and worn out.In addition,the heavy loads of books are not
worthwhile, until and unless the students are ready to go through it.
Our Curriculum Ministry is trying to develop curriculum according to
their own judgement, without keeping in view the taste and level of a
student.

The reason for the poor academic achievement could be any out of these.
But the question is, Why the students academic records are more
successful in European and American Countries?

The answer is that, they are keen to learn and explore things. No over
load of work is given to them nor books load and examination pressure
is exerted on them.The books are well integrated too.
The new writers, who want to write curriculum books according to the
requirement of students are never encouraged in our country.

Teachers, even sometimes avoid researching, and teaches whatever is
given in the textbook.

The main contributing factors that lead to low learning proficiency of
students according to my experience as a teacher are as follows

1. Incomprehension of the Studying Purpose


The main reason why so many students don’t feel interested in what they
are doing at school, is the incomprehension of their studying routine.
A vast majority of private and government teachers are not even
bothered to explain to their students what the learning outcomes are,
why they need to achieve them and how they will be assessed.Mostly

Teachers take out their text books and start making a wrong impression
of rote learning on students, and then evaluate their students without
seeing the capabilities of a child.Students are not encouraged to write
their own answers. Despite of it, teacher wants their student to copy
the same answer in the examination, which they have taught or were made
to write.

Thus, the writing and analytical thinking skill gets hamper, for which
we can’t blame a student.

Student just accomplish their tasks by command, which needs to be
bluntly carried out.Students prepare projects, submit reports etc just
to get extra marks, without knowing the purpose of their study.

2. Wrong Assessment Process


Assessment means to evaluate children capabilities, not to judge them.
Assessment in Pakistan is often wrongly intended by teachers as a
punishment for students, or traps to catch them out. Grades seem to
exist in order to show students’ errors, mistakes and drawbacks in the
study area, rather than to give students reasonable chance of
demonstrating their achievements of specific learning goals. Same five
years questions, wrong curriculum development by the ministry of
education, changing of the course at the last moment of the end of the
year are going on in secondary and higher classes. Assessment should
not be based on counting the pages, which a student fills. Rather than
this, evaluating system should be changed.Invigilators should be well
educated to judge the learning tasks and own input, else the wrong
assessment process, which is going on since a long time would create a
fearful attitude in students towards assessment.

Students are learning not for acquiring knowledge but for getting a
“pass.” Students, who works hard gets low marks, because the teacher
checks the paper according to their knowledge and often forgets student
effort of contributing towards answering question.

3. Lack of integrated Curriculum


Ministry of Education is making such a curriculum, which is not up to
mark and is not well integrated with full resources. Mistakes in the
books and wrong statements makes student furious.
Activities are always missing in our curriculum books. The quality and
the presentation of book makes jack a dull boy.

Our curriculum is made by professionals, but the question is, Why the
curriculum is not made yet, according to the needs and requirement of
the students? We are just trying to change our curriculum all the time
on the basis of the prevailing fear of any other examination
systems,coming ahead in the competition. If we are capable, why don’t
we move ahead rather than taking wrong decisions at the end moment.

4. Teachers Fault


With classes consisting of more than 15-20 children, many students feel
deprived of the due attention on their teacher’s part.Teachers are the
leader and a role model for every student. Every student want to be
unique and want their place in teachers heart. They are placed among
the great lot of students without their personal interests, and
problems with studying being taken into account. As a result, students
don’t feel cared about, lose their identity, become indifferent to
studies and lose faith in the brighter future.

Teacher should treat their student equally and give proper attention to
every student of his/her class.

5. Wrong attitude of parents


Many parents are “performance oriented,” which emphasises results such
as students’ grades, rather than knowing whether their child have
mastered the material or not.They just want their child to be on the
top of the list and thats all.

Children gets frustrated, when parent keeps a lot of expectations from

our child, which de-motivates them most of the time.

There are many parents,who tells their child in advance that they have
to join their fathers or forefathers business after passing school,
which also makes student less motivated to perform well in examination
and thus, poor performance is seen in the results, just because of the
wrong impression embossed by parents on their children.

By: Munir Moosa