The grade was never the problem.

I remember when I was still in school. I did a borrowed course then, which I studied so hard for. But when the results were finally released, I got a C. Well, after I saw this, I had that idea of me thinking that maybe I only understand this course well enough to pass comfortably. But nobody put it that way. I had to tell one of my friends about this because he knows the course better than I do. I even had to ask others about their grade, and it was as if the majority had a C. This followed some of us that how come we were likely less bothered about the result than the grade.

Before the next semester, everyone was praying that the lecturer should be changed, not because we were not good enough, but because of the grade and marking guide he always worked with. We were all afraid of what the "C" has been made to mean by others.

And when I looked deeper into this grading system due to the experience I have had and my relationship with some lecturers, some of them usually miss the idea of the grading system. The argument is about whether to fail to treat the system as the problem or to replace the letter grade with “pass." But the system was not what was damaging the students or affecting me back then. But it is definitely those who are in charge of the system.

In most of the homes, schools, and even workplaces. If I am being honest, grades have never been just information or letters. But people have always treated them as criteria, class, measurements of what people are capable of doing, separation one from another in order of comparison, and even prediction of destiny.

I bet, if those A, B, C, D, E, and F letters were removed from our grading system today, those instincts would fade so fast, and people would have another thing to rank. Then when someone passes, the question will be, “Did you pass well, or on average?” Well, the categories might have changed, but that same behaviour is still there, but in another form.

That being said, I am of the strong opinion that "fail" and "pass" should have something that is more realistic to offer for certain subjects and age groups, especially to our younger ones who are just trying to figure life out in the areas of trying to know what they can do and who they are.

Telling a kid who is just seven years old that he is a F or D student always comes with a kind of psychological cost that we might not see. And those sensitive among them will always see themselves in a way before they grow enough to be able to distinguish their identity from their performance.

But when the system tries to create a blanket for students at all levels, I am sure there will be a problem. Because it might become difficult for the universities to know who they will admit now that they are using WAEC/NECO plus JAMB scores during admission. And it will be so difficult for students to know where he can do better next time.

I will say that our grading system is not perfect; it is still imperfect. But my opinion right now is not what our system is presently using. It is definitely whether the adults in the life of a child is mature enough to use any system without turning it into shame.

Thank you for reading.

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