The students race for academic success

In Niamey, during the end-of-year exam period, parents are as stressed as their children because their children's academic success is at the forefront of their concerns. Failing a national exam such as the BEPC is tantamount to disaster and what family members, neighbors and friends will say becomes a major source of apprehension among parents. “So, did your son pass his BEPC? » No parent dares to give a negative answer to this question. The honor of the family is at stake. Faced with their child's academic failure, parents prefer to hide the truth in order to escape the feeling of shame they feel towards others.

As in many other countries, in Niger too, the diploma has disproportionate weight. The vast majority of parents perceive the diploma as a guarantee of social prestige and a good situation. Therefore, failing is not an option! In this context, poor performance causes enormous tensions and arguments within the family. These family tensions add to the academic pressure already exerted by the school and create a vicious circle which further reduces students' chances of success.

Why this race for results? The pressure transmitted to parents by those around them who themselves suffer from the perversity of the educational system explains this focus on academic success. Indeed, our outdated educational system, based on competition and the cult of good grades, pushes parents to give more importance to grades than to the acquisition of knowledge. Children go to school to get a diploma; If, along the way, they learn something, so much the better, and if they don't, then too bad! The main thing is to obtain the diploma, even if it does not reflect the real level of its holder.

What if this year, we made an effort to lower the pressure? Certainly, what people around us say doesn't make our task easier. It's hard to ignore what others think and say about our children's academic performance. But, the well-being of our offspring must take precedence over the opinions of others. Let's talk about it around us, let's raise awareness among other parents and, together, let's dare to refuse the pressure system that undermines us and destroys students' self-confidence. Let's take a step back and keep in mind that the main thing is that our children have a good experience at school, even if, academically, good grades are not always there.