LEAD MAGAZINE | 2019
human beings are not.
Some will argue that the pros include that
theses exams will separate the students who
are academic. But the world out there requires
that these students too be able to apply their
academic skills upon graduation. Yet, many
aren’t able to.
Pasi Sahlberg, a very famous Finnish education
expert, says that standardised testing systems
kill innovation and creativity in the classroom.
So, how important then is creativity and
innovation in a classroom?
It is most critical for the growth of the country
and its economy. Students have to be creative,
innovative and collaborative in subjects
perceived as predominantly very left-brained
- Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Information
Technology,
Mathematics,
Economics,
Accounting, History, Geography etc. The
development of the curriculum has to head in
this direction.
Kids actually love learning this way! But, many
adults ask, “Does this translate into exams?”
or say, “This is not in the exams and that it
distracts their children from prepping for the
exams!”
5. Students need to learn for their future,
not our present.
We are fascinated by powerful,
inspiring stories like these.
So the question is ‘Should children or teens be
introduced to Entrepreneurship and financial
education at primary and secondary school?’
Would they grow up with the right values?
Would they end up becoming materialistic?
And do they have time for their studies?
Not teaching this does not ensure that adults
are automatically not materialistic nor do they
all by default have all the right values when
they become adults either.
I hear so many stories that in most schools
children get scolded and punished for selling
cookies, erasers, crystal bracelets etc in
school. They got into a lot of trouble with
their teachers, and principals. Just imagine the
impression this makes on these children and
the friends around them.
The danger is that the message children get at
that age is that doing business is wrong. It is a
bad thing.
That stays with them till
adulthood.
Wait! Isn’t going to school to prep the kids for
their careers in the future? Most are going to
be working in a...wait for it...a business!!
Aren’t studies to prep children to work in
businesses or run businesses, their own or
other people’s? Where is the connection right
now between what they learn in school and
that world they are stepping out into?
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Our 14-year old student in Malaysia started his
business doing copywriting on Fiver. He has
international clients including an Australian
wine company.
These are applying whatever knowledge they
have and learning what they don’t have. They
are making their knowledge practical. They
learn that their skills have value.
Education has to be practical, not academic for
the children and teen to work on theoretical
stuff just for the sake of educating the children.
The question is not if we should teach this
but how do we make sure entrepreneurship
become part of the school curriculum.
4. As educators, do we teach for a small
percentage to succeed all the way to
university or do we teach to make sure all
the students are successful to contribute
to their community and society.
Right now, in many countries, the focus is on
the top students. They make up about 5% of
the student population.
As educators, we have to make sure all
students need to be educated...to succeed in
life. I was asked this question, “Finland does
not have a standardised testing system, in
your view what are the pros and cons of a
standardised testing system.”
People are not standardised. So, why should
exams be? The damage these exams do
to those who do not fit into this system is
horrific. We lose so many with potential and
possibilities because this is not how they learn
best. These exams test only academic skills
in most cases. It is very one-dimensional and
Currently, most education systems are still
focusing on IQ (Intelligence Quotient) and in
some countries and schools, there is a move
towards EQ (Emotional Quotient). However,
what we have to equip the students with for the
future are CQ (Cultural Quotient or Curiosity
Quotient) and AQ (Adaptive Quotient).
The World Economic Forum estimated that for
children entering primary school at this time,
65% of the jobs they will do when they leave
school do not exist yet. , meaning we don’t
really know what they will be. How does an
education system address this issue.
CERTAINLY NOT BY STANDARDISED
TESTING WHICH TESTS THE PAST.
Question is then how do you test
the future?
“The past is owned by those who know, the
present is controlled by those who think, and
the future belongs to those who can imagine.”
(Author unknown)
The world is changing more quickly than you
can imagine, and it waits for no one. If our
children stay put with the current education
systems many countries have to offer, they will
be left behind.
Sir Anthony Seldon in his book, The Fourth
Education Revolution, emphasises this “...we
need to be educating our young to become
more fully human.”
For all of us in education to be aware of, we
have to focus on growing the children to
be more fully human in a world focused on
becoming more digital.
When we get this right, then we face the
most unlikely problem a school can have. Our
students don’t want holidays!