Exams must never be allowed to define our children's worth

At the tender age of 17, I participated in a peculiar rite of passage – a book-burning ritual that marked the end of my Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination.

All Form Four leavers, or perhaps just the ones fed up with the unrelenting academic grind, gathered around a humongous bonfire fuelled by the very books that had consumed our lives for four years and a potent mix of peer pressure and exams trauma.

Four years earlier, on the cusp of adolescence, we grappled with the looming possibility of failing our Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examination.

Fast forward to the brink of adulthood, and we found ourselves contending with the formidable KCSE examination.

In both instances, our teachers adamantly declared that failure was not an option. I wish they hadn't. I wish they had told us that freedom to fail was fundamental to being human, instead of isolating and alienating those deemed "failures”.

A more balanced perspective on failure might have alleviated the pressure and anxiety from the pursuit of the elusive perfect score.

As an above-average learner who viewed mathematics as a form of torture, a recent rant to the editor of Daily Nation caught my attention.

In Declare ‘Mwalimu wa maths’ hate speech, William Wainaina referred to the social media phrase "Mwalimu wa maths, hapa ni wapi? Ulisema siendi mbali; hapa ni wapi? (Maths teacher, you said I won't go far; where is this?)" meant to mock maths teachers who often proclaimed that success without maths was unattainable.

Wainaina argued, “Maths is the anchor subject in almost all endeavours, including academic and business. Failing in maths is, therefore, akin to failing in life.”

Also read: Don’t vilify children over poor KCPE results

His words reminded me of my high school maths teacher, who met incorrect answers with blank stares and, a few days before KCSE exam, divided us into groups labelled A to D “material”.

The "Mwalimu wa maths" persona, it seems, has much to answer for and likely haunted the minds of the 2023 KCPE candidates.

This fear and aversion to failure may have driven learners, parents, and teachers from several private schools to petition the High Court of Kenya after the results, demanding a reevaluation, as they insisted, “Those were not our marks.”

I’m not naïve. I recognise that examination results hold significant sway in life. But they must never be allowed to define our worth.

The time has come to curb the excesses of examinations, and the Competency-Based Curriculum has been touted as the antidote to this examination fever. But can it truly deliver?

My fervent hope is that, if nothing else, the new system will teach our children that they have the freedom to fail.

The writer comments on gender and social topics (@FaithOneya; [email protected]