Ever heard of this urban legend? You know how in school, we always put in just 95% for our exams, thinking that the school will moderate results of the whole cohort anyway if overall we don't do well. Here's a mutated version of that which a friend recounted to me.

School nowadays are so ranked and compared that principals are pressured to keep up appearances. Which means keeping the number of EM3 students low.

One such principal forces her teachers to add marks to the scripts of borderline students, so as to push them up to EM2. Some of these students are 'borderline' because they failed everything, but their language marks pushed them up. They are so weak that they are sure to flounder and die if raised to EM2.

Oops, then the school ends up with too many EM2 students. Here goes another round of 'moderation', where teachers are instructed to pick the ones they don't like or have attitude problems, and intentionally minus marks so they fail and fall into the bottom of the basket.

So what's the point of working hard if you've been blacklisted from the beginning? Education is supposed to spread light, not block it.

My husband was shocked to hear of this practice. It's so disgusting and revolting even to an onlooker like me. Imagine the teachers trapped in their bonds and forced to be part of this shameful cover-up.

Labels: Cynic In The House