South African President Nelson Mandela once said that education is the "most powerful" tool that "can change the world." So, is this why the world's education systems are so obsessed with academic excellence?
Today, the pressure of school has undeniably intensified and one of the reasons cited is the fact that education systems have become "obsessed" with the dogmatic concept of academic success. Unfortunately, as educational institutions push the pressure of achieving "high levels of academic excellence" on children, it's taking a toll on their mental health as they become more vulnerable to depression and anxiety.
How The Pressures On Academic Excellence Trigger Anxiety And Depression On Kids
In the United States, standardized testing as a criterion for achievement has been a constant topic of debate. As a matter of fact, parents have been blatantly questioning the significance of numerous state-mandated standardized tests while some have kept their children from taking the exams, Today reveals.
The standardized tests are also sparking issues in Australian education systems. According to ABC News, "Beautiful Failures: How the Quest for Success is Harming Our Kids" author and Guardian Australia journalist Lucy Clark revealed that these standard markers are not beneficial to children, instead it's making kids anxious and depressed.
Clark also stressed how the pressures to achieve academic excellence outweighed the joys and excitement of education. She also pointed out how stress and mental health took away the kids' adolescence.
What Is Wrong In The Australian Education System?
After Clark wrote an article about the pressure her daughter experienced in school, which has been shared on Facebook 26,000 times, Clark realized that a lot of teens were also suffering from the same dilemma. That's why, she bravely enumerated the reasons why the Australian education system appears to be flawed.
"There is too much focus on academic outcomes and a very narrow view of success with a one-size-fits-all approach that negates individuality," Clark told ABC News. "There is too much testing and too much competition, and too much comparison between kids. The whole system is geared towards achieving better outcomes rather than getting kids to love learning, and consequently there is a hierarchy of pressure, with kids right at the bottom. There are a whole lot of structural problems too."
Why The National Assessment Program In Literacy And Numeracy An 'Instrument Of Torture' For Kids
Clark also explained why she thinks the National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy is a "blunt political tool and instrument of torture" for parents, teachers and children, noting the system's inclination to rank kids for "particular criticism. She also added that the focus of education emboldens children to be "ego-oriented" and not "task-oriented or learning-oriented," The Australian reports.
Why Education Reform Is Needed
Many experts have called for an education reform for decades. But according to Clark, education revolution is much needed now than ever as the pressure on children have become worse and for her, reform should be more about valuing the child as a whole, as well as "broadening the ideas of success."
For an excerpt of Clark's "Beautiful Failures," check out Mammamia. Meanwhile, do you think the pressures in school are harming children? Share your thoughts below and follow Parent Herald for more news and updates.
