I do not wish to detract from the hard-earned achievements of those who performed brilliantly, especially in a year where, refreshingly, there was no apparent political compulsion to inflate results as proof of a flawless education system. In fact, the rise in lower scores this year may be a blessing in disguise, laying bare the fragile state of our education system, and hopefully prompting pra























































































ctical steps to fix it and better prepare children for the realities of life.

That’s one way to look at the poor performance this year. But what about the broken confidence of students who didn’t do well, those labelled "mediocre" or "failures"? Many were likely deprived of proper guidance, quality teaching, or were simply not academically inclined. They may possess other talents and hidden strengths that go unrecognised because they don’t fit the narrow definition of the “ideal student.”

When the very first public exam in their lives teaches them that they are failures, second-class citizens in the hierarchy of achievement, the emotional fallout is immense. Shame, anger, pain, and humiliation crash down upon them.