The Pressure to Perform

A few days ago, my grandson came running up to where I was waiting for his sister and him after the school bell had rung. He thrust a piece of paper into my hand.

I looked at it and realised that it was the results slip of the national elementary school examinations. He had accomplished what he had set out to do, to achieve the maximum 7As in all the subjects he sat for in the examination. I congratulated him on getting through with such flying colours. His sister then came up and asked how he fared. Knowing that it would be her turn to sit for the same examination the next year and having her brother already setting the standard, she must be feeling the pressure now.

In fact the school which they attend, is also under great pressure to perform, to produce as many top students as possible, so much so that the children who will be sitting for the examination next year, are required to attend another extra two weeks of school even though it is now officially vacation time. So while the rest of the school children are enjoying their year end holidays, my granddaughter and her classmates will have another two weeks' of school.

Although these two siblings are not put under pressure to excel in their examinations but only told to do their best, nevertheless they put themselves under pressure as their classmates are very competitive.

It is a fact that Malaysians are a very competitive lot and from young, this trait has been honed by peer pressure and more often than not, by parental pressure. Doing well means more opportunities later in life, especially if they are disciplined to give of their best in whatever they do. In this regard, credit must go to the Chinese schools where such discipline is imposed upon the children. Sadly, the same cannot be said of many national schools where discipline is lax and schools under perform, except for those with long-standing traditions of good school culture.

Still, one cannot help but wonder if this pressure to perform is all good. Some children cannot take pressure and often suffer physically and mentally. The paper chase can be taken to the extreme and the wholistic development of a child is often forgotten. Not all children are academically inclined and the education system has to cater for all types of children, to nurture latent talents and impart skills of living and interacting, rather than to focus on the strings of As and Bs.

Let children be children, allow them to enjoy their childhood. Let not the adults be killjoys by ramming studies down their little throats. It's time the whole education system be revamped to be more practical and functional, to encourage critical thinking and creativity, to foster character development, social skills and skills that will be of use to them later on in life.

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