Ilze Kuzmina: Who hurt the math exam?

Photo by Ilze Kuzmina

Large Brush, Small Wool – These sentences seem to be best described by the recent Centralized Mathematics Examination . It was even outrageous, wrote one of the daily and part of the TV show went to the writer and also asked questions to the graduates on the exam of mathematics "successful". Even the mayor of Riga, Nil Usakov, had something to say about this exam: it was a mockery of the pupils, because the tasks were difficult, almost impossible to perform

Now that the results of Mathematical examination are made public, is almost the same as last year. The number of people fallen: only four more, although mathematics exams were held for half a thousand more exams than last year

It is true that Karl Shadursky, Minister of Education and Science brief: "Elections".

The nearness of the upcoming Saeima elections leads to seeking a boost (sometimes not even) in the cloak of the minister, both for the politicians of the opposition and, unfortunately, for politically affiliated journalists. Instead of reflecting together on the strategic steps to be taken for the development of Latvia over the next four years, including improving the quality of education, populism is unstable

In fact, the centralized examination is very simple. With such a low score – 5% of the possible 100 -, of course, do not fit the most sought after degree programs, but secondary education is formally obtained. The Minister himself, Mr. Šadurskis, has already laid much stress on this system, even suggesting the recognition of a surgeon who has five percent of the surviving patient. However, the Minister has not proposed specific changes to make the review provision higher. Instead, it is suggested that two levels of exams will be introduced with the introduction of new content and the student will be able to choose the degree of difficulty. However, they still have to wait several years, so those who really care about the quality of education may not worry about difficult examination, but ask the minister to stop paradox and start to write new rules for conducting centralized exams. All the more so as the minister himself acknowledged: because of the low requirements, some high school graduates do not even try to deal with part of the tasks. But some people are counted: too few tasks are performed, and even a five percent tax can not be overcome.

In fact, the idea of ​​introducing two-level exams is also risky. Will not it be the case that most young people, though sorry for themselves, will choose the easiest exam? And if, due to the lack of potential university students, they also give up their stake and agree to admit those who pbaded the lower level exams, so that only the audiences would be filled ? Then the most difficult exam will be carried out only by those who are really motivated, confident in their knowledge and eager to enter higher education institutions or study programs whose quality standards have not yet been abandoned. Conversely, if there is no choice of students, but the government will determine which graduates of an education program must pbad a test, the discussions about the reasons for which one will be difficult and the other easy will be endless. Because it's already psychologically more pleasant to get a high grade in a light exam than a lower level exam. For example, Inguna Ribena, a member of the Saeima Commission of Education and Culture, demanded that high school graduates of art and music be a lighter exam for mathematics, alumni students in these schools take this exam to a higher level. ensure that the quality of education increases to a lesser extent in the capacity of graduates of the school and lower education. So early, without worries and without populist cries, the exams could include even more difficult tasks than now, so that the graduates of the best gyms would be the hardest hit.