May and June are always a hard time for the thousands of young people and children attending University courses or still at school. It is examination time, a time when they will try to reap the fruit of a long year of schooling and learning.

There are, of course, different levels of education, which bring with them different levels of stress for the students.

For those at University, examinations mean the key to their future career, and failure can mean the end of a dream.

For students at secondary level, examinations are the means of access to the University and, again, a tough time because their future largely depends not only on a pass mark but also on the grade they will obtain.

For the younger generations, examinations are a way to know how much they learnt during their scholastic year as they start building up their knowledge.

Whatever the level, examinations are not an easy time, both for the students and for their immediate family. It is a time of tension in the home, as the students, already worn out with the pressure of the examinations, must also face extra pushes from their parents who, with all the good intentions they have, add on to the students’ stress.

While it is understandable that examinations must be held to assess the students’ knowledge, educators should keep in mind that students should not only be judged by what they do in those couple of hours on their own with the examination paper. What the students did in the preceding nine months also deserves a lot of consideration.

It is known that, under so much exam pressure, students very often fail to reach expectations. Their work in the preceding months should not go down the drain just because they had a bad day.

While discussing examinations, it would be pertinent to ask the following question on our education system which, in spite of the reforms that have taken place over the years, still continues to put unnecessary pressure on the students.

The question is: Are students, in particular in primary and secondary school levels, learning “too much”, both with regard to the number of subjects taught as well as the syllabus that has to be covered in each particular subject? Would it not be better that more school-time is devoted to developing other talents?

All of us had one or more subjects that we liked and others that we hated. Some failed in the subjects they did not like because they could not push themselves into studying them or else they literally could not grasp them. Others just managed to force themselves through but quickly forgot all they had learnt once the pass mark was achieved.

Would it not have been better if the time “wasted” on disliked subjects was utilised for something else – such as art, drama, music, sport?

Of course, there are subjects that must remain compulsory throughout the whole primary and secondary schooling. But students should be given the facility to drop one subject in which they are not interested. This will allow them to concentrate on other subjects that would be useful for them in the career they want to pursue and at the same time give them the chance to develop other skills.

As for the individual subjects taken, does the syllabus they have to cover need to be so vast? Are the so many details they have to learn in all subjects so important for them to know?

Academic education carries its weight in the development of young people and children, but let us not forget that life is not just prepositions and history dates. Life is much more than that. Are we really helping our children and youths grow up as they should?