Motion:
The policy of reporting students' class position should be abolished.
Content: /7
Language: /7
Organisation: /7
(WMS)
Good morning ladies and gentlemen, esteemed judges and honourable opponents. I am Chris Wong, the first speaker of the affirmative side for the motion, “The policy of reporting students’ class position should be abolished.” The polarising war of words over reporting the class positions of students has haunted teachers, parents and students in recent years. This is why I am today presenting arguments on why this motion has to stand. The second and third speakers of my team will then further elaborate with examples. With that, I am confident we will be able to convince you that this policy of reporting students’ position in class should be abandoned.
Before I begin, ladies and gentlemen, it is important to define “reporting class position.” It refers to disclosing, in school, the rankings students are given according to exam or test results, represented by numbers, that show if they are underperforming or outstanding among all students in a class. Everything related to academic studies that is being kept, should benefit students in more ways than one. Nevertheless, the policy of reporting class positions should be scrapped because it harms students in more ways than one.
First and foremost, class position can hardly reflect students’ real performance in every subject. Ladies and gentlemen, it is worth noting that only by examining one’s exam results, subject by subject, can students learn to improve effectively by, for example, focusing on subjects where they are underperforming and seeking relevant assistance. Yet, my dear opponents, how can reporting class positions help students improve effectively by devoting more time to subjects in which they did not perform well? We need to bear in mind that class positions only reflect the overall performance of students. One could be in the top 10 or top 5 just because he or she came in first in English and Mathematics, despite failing in Chinese. Being in the top 10 or 5 even when failing a subject can beckon complacency, with students falsely believing that gravely underperforming in one subject would never lead to dire consequences. My honourable opponents, all students are obliged to fight for the best in the public exam, especially when it comes to the three core subjects -- Chinese and English, and Mathematics – shouldn’t they? What if the average performance that class positions reflect failed to sound off the alarm, and in the end had students failing a core subject in the DSE, in turn robbing them of their desired future?
To follow that up, class positions are not realistic enough to let students know the reality they are facing. My dear opponents may be adamant that class positions allow students to understand if they are ahead of their peers or lagging behind. That is indisputable – only in the aspect of competition within one class. Ladies and gentlemen, it is essential to reiterate that our future pillars, no matter junior or senior high school students, are going to, one day, be battling tens of thousands of students from every secondary school in the fateful DSE exam, not a class of some 20 students. Statistics speak volumes. A Chinese University survey conducted back in December last year shows 85 percent of the respondents who were mostly senior secondary school students pushed back against such a policy of reporting class positions because they are utterly illusory. My dearest opponents, one can be the champion in class, but among the losers in the whole form. What is the purpose of reporting class positions when it feeds false complacency and smothers motivation to continue improving? One needs to stand out in the whole form, not only in the class, in order to secure excellent grades in the public exam. Ladies and gentlemen, how can students who perform the best in the class but the worst in the whole form improve when they have no idea how they are doing among students of the same age? The reality of having to eliminate tens of thousands of opponents is brutal and merciless, but as the saying goes, it is what it is. If class positions are not realistic enough and instead are illusory, how can they benefit students academically?
On the opposing corner, my honourable opponents may lash back insisting reporting class positions reinvigorates students to strive for the better. It does sound foolproof given setbacks can magically push students to improve. However, ladies and gentlemen, is it categorically valid? We need to acknowledge that failure does not always mean more motivation. Reporting class positions may delight the top scorers who are eager for perfection, and those who are thirsting for the top places. Yet, for students who did make an effort but still underperformed, it may leave them humiliated and dash their spirits, especially under Hong Kong’s predominant exam-oriented culture. My honourable opponents, as students, you must have gone through setbacks throughout the years. I am sure you can imagine how students would feel if their peers belittled them for being the loser in class because the class positions are on display. Recounting that race against time, the effort devoted to complicated triangles and math symbols, and the stinging tears shed in desperation…and still losing to most counterparts is absolutely stinging and dispiriting, isn’t it? Ladies and gentlemen, it is utterly ludicrous to believe that every student would benefit because of the reinvigoration reporting class positions provide. It may truly rejuvenate some students who are eager to fight on or are already enjoying success, but for those who so direly need a bit of motivation, I am afraid this policy would only make matters worse for them.
Studying and learning all revolve around constant improvement and self-reflection. Supposedly, reporting students’ positions are meant to motivate students to keep grinding on. If reporting class positions only serves to cover up the truth, create an illusion for students and dampen some students’ spirits, are we still insistent on implementing such a policy much to the detriment of our future pillars? Students need to learn and improve effectively, and with such a policy allowing students to be complacent, it is evident the motion that “The policy of reporting students’ class position should be abolished” must stand.
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