The provision of education to pupils can be said to be the raison d’etre of schools and their achievements represent a success indicator for such a goal.
It is for this reason that Learner Achievement is identified as one of the nine focus areas of Whole School Evaluation (WSE), which is a quality assurance system that enables schools and external supervisors to provide an account of the school’s performance and to show to what extent it meets national goals and the needs of the public and communities.
Learner achievement can therefore be perceived to encompass academic achievement in internal and standardised assessment as well as participation in sports and cultural activities. It includes learner ability in mathematics and the school’s language of learning and teaching (LOLT), and the school’s ability to support learners with barriers.
The three criteria for the learner achievement focus area are framed as questions which ask whether learners are reaching the expected outcomes for their age and ability in the different learning areas and phases of the school system.
Secondly, are learners learning effectively and making as much progress as could be expected in the light of their known prior achievements? Lastly, the question is posed as to whether learners are encouraged and supported to participate in extra-mural activities. The aim is for the holistic development of the learners and to teach them in totality.
It is against this background that the practice of rewarding learners for academic achievement should be interrogated. Such awards are usually awarded during public ceremonies where parents and other members of the school community are invited.
Schools justify the hosting of such ceremonies on the basis of recognising the hard work and scholastic achievement and that they motivate learners to achieve. On face value, this seems like a noble practice worth retaining. Closer inspection, however, presents vexing questions such as what are achievements considered valuable and worthy? Who decides on the criteria?
Within the context of inclusive education, academic awards can be awkward as they actually accentuate differences whereas inclusive education is concerned with the learning and achievement of all learners in the classroom regardless of background, socioeconomic status and (dis)ability.
Shakira Akabor, PhD, is a post-doctoral researcher in the department of inclusive education at the University of South Africa (Unisa), who carried out a PhD research on the desirability of visibly rewarding learners for academic achievement and whether this was consistent with the ideals of inclusive education.
She looked at the impact of visible rewards on all learners to assess whether they served as a barrier to the participation and achievement of some. Her conclusion was that the current rewards system was inconsistent with the aims of inclusive education.
It was the American philosopher John Dewey who said that “education is not preparation for life; education is life itself”.
It is therefore imperative that education should imbue learners with those values that will enhance society and improve human conditions. These values can only be inculcated in an environment free of competition which militates against the ideals of inclusive education. Success should be a product of the collaboration between learners in the classroom where the emphasis is on the achievement of the group.
The current reward system places more focus on the mere passing of tests and exams and ignores the fact that education should be for life and not just exams. A narrow preoccupation with internal and external assessments does not take into account a broad range of talents and creativities.
In a competitive environment, learners will be working towards the achievement of rewards and this will promote individualistic attitudes that are not in keeping with the tenets of inclusive education.
The hub of education should not be on the achievement of awards, but on learning. The key to the learning success of all learners is on working together to achieve educational outcomes. Such a reality will affirm the words of Henry Ford when he postulates, “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success”.
The learning environment should not be a zero-sum game of win or lose. When a few learners are recognised for their academic prowess, others might feel ignored and demotivated from applying themselves to the learning environment.
This will then shatter the desired atmosphere for learning. The aim of education should be to cultivate a love for learning for its sake and should not be a race for recognition through the achievement of awards.
The schooling system should be tweaked to produce life-long learners with the learning focus on self-knowledge, self-regulation and self-motivation. The reward for learning is and must be on the life-long process of learning.
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