In most academic institutions, the ranking system plays a pivotal role in monitoring students' academic performance and sorting them based on their academic capabilities. There is already a tradition in our college, College of Accountancy and Finance (CAF), of using the ‘ranking system’ to codify the students based on their scores in an exam – particularly with their midterms and final exams, or as to what we call it the ‘departmentals’ or ‘deptals’. Usually, the list of the ranking will be released along with the name of the students and the percentage or score that they got on the exam. However, the enactment of which is obviously not appropriate with the mode of ‘learning’ that the university currently has. We must read the room, and draw a line of discernment between giving deserved merit to our students against hollowly glorifying a systematic educational subjugation.
But before we criticize the issue with some of its particular layers, we want to clarify one thing: If we will not rank the students and release the ranking lists after their departmentals exam, will their hard work be discredited? The answer is No, and so what is the point? Of course we must always give credit to the diligence of our students, they deserve it and they already earned it after all the necessary and unnecessary sacrifices made. However, we have to know how to truly materialize our appreciation to them, and giving them a more conducive and inclusive mode of ‘learning’ will be a good start.
First things first, we are aware of how ranking is essential for most colleges, especially, those who are offering university scholarships. However, in implementing it, few factors should be taken into account as it is not just a typical tool for measuring one’s intelligence or skills. For instance, the university should first look on an inner sphere, and ponder on questions like “is the number of students enough for us to use the ranking system?” or “what are the possible effects of this to the mental state and psyche of the students?” And more importantly, the institution must also recognize the external factors presented to the same (Political, societal, economical, environmental), and how these factors complement the system.
We all know how the COVID-19 pandemic devastated the country. And the negative impacts of which extends to the health of the people, its economy and their mental disposition. Given that, we have to be extra careful with how we fraternize with each other especially within an institution where unnecessary ‘competition’ is being established.
A ‘ranking system’ establishes an unfair judgement if we are really looking into the actual realities of the students and as to how they are thriving to cope with an unfamiliar terrain of ‘learning’. Students in our university are currently experiencing different struggles within the different aspects of their lives, and this goes beyond their individual issues as this narrative of struggle extends to their families, economic capacity, health, and privileges. Some may be fortunate enough to have the essential equipment or requisites for a ‘distanced’ learning, but in reality, majority of us do not have a secure internet connection, a few may not have their own devices and borrow one just to comply with their academic requirements, and maybe we know a few who cannot afford buying required textbooks and other learning materials.
We have to recognize the fact that the university does not provide material solutions to the material conditions of its scholars. Now, if one of our smart and diligent scholars cannot perform well because he is lacking the necessary materials for online classes or ‘distance’ learning, eventually, he will fail. But we must put out into the front, that it is not the student’s fault, but rather of his negative circumstances and the failure of the ones responsible for those circumstances to address the same.
Many researches have proved that ranking students made them apt to think or feel obligated that they need to do better day-by-day to maintain the grade or score they have in the examinations. In lieu of the ‘supposed’ purpose of motivating students, this system of ranking just puts unnecessary pressure on their shoulder. With our collective situation amidst a crisis, it is a sin to make people, most especially in this context the youth, feel guilty if they are not performing well with their supposed task. We should not expect people to function at their 100%, mainly because our current situation does not allow us to.
Education must inspire every young mind to become their better self. However, with our current state, releasing a list of individual achievements is not inspiring, instead it is insensitive, demotivating, and unnecessary.
This does not just bring more pressure to the students who are not well adept to the current mode of ‘learning’, but it also disenfranchises and separates the less privileged students within the community. Given that we are striving to survive in the middle of a pandemic, the release of rankings during the said examinations is not appropriate as to the current state of ‘learning’ within our academic institution, and this sense of achievement given to the minority creates a distinguishment against the majority who are just as deserving. As what the republic of Twitter would say, “ranking is canceledt.", and this propagation of pseudo-competition should be cancelled.
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