AN interesting conversation recently revealed the common belief in our society that academic progress has nothing to do with workplace skills. To us, academic progress means success in exams, pocketing certificates and chasing opportunity. Assessments are the primary focus of all teaching and learning across our schools while the rest of the world has moved on to thinking about what students can do rather than what they are learning.

Demonstration of learning outcomes is monitored closely in societies that view education as an experience of the real world. When math is taught, progress is tracked not only through conceptual understanding but skills that are embedded in math teaching — logic and reasoning, problem-solving and data analysis, decision-making, etc. These are skills that can translate into marketable competencies at work and they start from the get-go. We don’t have to wait for specialist degrees at the higher education level to build foundational skills for life.

It’s not a surprise that we fail to prioritise skills. Schools do not ignore skills intentionally. The system rewards grades, especially as financially burdened parents want to see value for the money they invest in their child’s education. The larger........

© Dawn