·

　　Wemightmarvelattheprogressmadeineveryfieldofstudy,butthemethodsoftestingaperson’sknowledgeandabilityremainsasprimitiveasevertheywere.Itreallyisextraordinarythatafteralltheseyears,educationistshavestillfailedtodeviseanythingmoreefficientandreliablethanexaminations.Forallthepiousclaimthatexaminationstestwhatyouknow,itiscommonknowledgethattheymoreoftendotheexactopposite.Theymaybeagoodmeansoftestingmemory,ortheknackofworkingrapidlyunderextremepressure,buttheycantellyounothingaboutaperson'strueabilityandaptitude.

　　Asanxiety-makers,examinationsaresecondtonone.Thatisbecausesomuchdependsonthem.Theyarethemarkofsuccessorfailureinoursociety.Yourwholefuturemaybedecidedinonefatefulday.Itdoesn’tmatterthatyouweren’tfeelingverywell,orthatyourmotherdied.Littlethingslikethatdon’tcount:theexamgoeson.Noonecangiveofhisbestwhenheisinmortalterror,orafterasleeplessnight,yetthisispreciselywhattheexaminationsystemexpectshimtodo.Themomentachildbeginsschool,heentersaworldofviciouscompetitionwheresuccessandfailureareclearlydefinedandmeasured..Canwewonderattheincreasingnumberof‘drop-outs’:youngpeoplewhoarewrittenoffasutterfailuresbeforetheyhaveevenembarkedonacareer?Canwebesurprisedatthesuiciderateamongstudents?

　　Agoodeducationshould,amongotherthings,trainyoutothinkforyourself.Theexaminationsystemdoesanythingbutthat.Whathastobelearntisrigidlylaiddownbyasyllabus,sothestudentisencouragedtomemorize.Examinationsdonotmotivateastudenttoreadwidely,buttorestricthisreading;theydonotenablehimtoseekmoreandmoreknowledge,butinducecramming.Theylowerthestandardsofteaching,fortheydeprivetheteacherofallfreedom.Teachersthemselvesareoftenjudgedbyexaminationresultsandinsteadofteachingtheirsubjects,theyarereducedtotrainingtheirstudentsinexamtechniqueswhichtheydespise.Themostsuccessfulcandidatesarenotalwaysthebesteducated;theyarethebesttrainedinthetechniqueofworkingunderduress.

　　Theresultsonwhichsomuchdependsareoftennothingmorethanasubjectiveassessmentbysomeanonymousexaminer.Examinersareonlyhuman.Theygettiredandhungry;theymakemistakes.Yettheyhavetomarkstacksofhastilyscrawledscriptsinalimitedamountoftime.Theyworkunderthesamesortofpressureasthecandidates.Andtheirwordcarriesweight.Afterajudge’sdecisionyouhavetherightofappeal,butnotafteranexaminer's.Theremustsurelybemanysimplerandmoreeffectivewaysofassessingaperson’strueabilities.Isitcynicaltosuggestthatexaminationsaremerelyaprofitablebusinessfortheinstitutionsthatrunthem?ThisiswhatitboilsdowntointhelastanalysisThebestcommentonthesystemisthisilliteratemessagerecentlyscrawledonawall:‘Iwereateenagedrop-outandnowIareateenagemillionaire.