Rethinking education and examination

A child has a "P" pass in English and A in science and Maths and for this reason, he is not able to enter higher education. In the age we are in, the English he knows already that allowed him or her to understand how to solve other courses should be acceptable enough for his progress.

Welcome to Decade 202x - the decade of new orders when systems of the old world as we know it starts to give in to the next. I just saved over half a million naira in physical school fees because of online alternatives!

However in another twist...I am here to challenge the thinking around exams and asking why should exams even stop people at all during school years.

I will presume that educating everyone was not possible due to the fact that their were limited resources that could house students, teachers, limited hostels to allow them sleep over, limited lectures halls to allow them sit for lectures, limited access to use or utilize school amenities e.g. toilets, buka

So humans designed exams a students must pass with high grades to "enter" higher classes.

So "A" for excellent, "C" for credit became a way to filter the best of the best through a quota system and to enable only those ones to move on to higher education since resources were also limited. It was a way to reduce the demand on the limited supply of education resources.

With the arrival of online schools and the scaling power of technology, this limitations are being removed.

I am imagining a new model, where students are graded but not stopped from progressing. Assuming I want to become a graduate of computer science, even if i scored all Fs, I shouldn't be prevented from continuing studies that continue to progress me towards that goal.

I can be advised to repeat but not stopped from continuing.

The courses I failed can be available to continuous try while I move on with others.

Assessment on demand model allows a student continue their standard progress while doubling their effort to carry-on past failed classes. Why is this? Because online school enables a student take multiple lessons and acquire independent motivation to improve from home, family and friends.

So instead of examination that stops a child from progressing to Universities or higher education, they should be allowed to continue to take their higher lessons with continuous assessment that goes on as they progress. So the system can maintain a database of your lifes assessment.

If you fail an assessment, you will never be forceful stopped from moving on to the next class, but you will realize as a student the need to pass that test, so you will continue to reapply for that class until you can pass the assessment and have that database changed to a credit or excellent

The choice of progress should eventually only be left to the future job employer who will eventually access the students that is best for the job at hand. Because we have many first class graduate that is also terrible at certain jobs, restricting those who are weak in the obvious courses will continue to create an unbalanced society.

Allowing exams to stop the progress of a child has being responsible for limiting countless children from accessing opportunities that could have been available to them and creation of a psychological problem for many who tell themselves they are not worthy.

We can change this thinking and this approach as the digital age arrives fully.

What do you think? In this technology age where access to knowledge is being democratized, should we continue to limit children from progressing with their colleagues?