As the new school year starts, remember: it's not all about exams

Students get back to school at Pakistan Education Academy in Oud Metha after the summer break. - Photo by Grace Guino

We've just got over that time of year again, when students, parents and teachers sat eagerly awaiting exam results. And for the vast majority, the outcome was successful. That culmination of a year's hard work paid off and has laid a great foundation for the future. But for those who were disappointed, you may have been left feeling as if the success of an entire year rested on that single grade. But we urge you; don't start the new year with that mindset.
At Gems Education we place emphasis on a well-rounded and deep curriculum. Whilst we take pride in the fact that many of our students are performing outstandingly in their CBSE, GSCE, A Level and IB exams, we are aware that this is not the only way to measure achievements.
The Future of Education report published by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) in the UAE in May, said that the best schools prepare pupils for the future and not just tests.
The report stressed that the adults of the future will be entering into jobs that ask for more than just academic accomplishment. These new jobs will demand creativity, critical thinking and deeper immersion in particular topics.
Therefore, we as educators, have a responsibility to our pupils to nurture their overall well-being and teach them social and moral skills as well as emotional intelligence and resilience.
In such a rapidly changing world, this is just as important as the knowledge that most examinations assess.
The report also stated that the National Agenda for the UAE aims to ensure the nation is among the best in the world in terms of entrepreneurship and that this will require action by educators.
To create entrepreneurs and active citizens in tomorrow's world, we must continue to diversify the way in which our children learn and we are all responsible for this. As the saying goes: 'it takes a village to raise a child'.
Exam results are perhaps the easiest way for a parent to judge the quality of an institution with many universities reliant on end-of-school exams to determine where students will continue their studies after they complete their schooling. However, we must also celebrate those whose manual and dextrous skills triumph over the academic ones and offer vocational courses for their future.
While exams are important they are a small part of that person you eventually become. It is therefore important for schools to balance academic results with the well-being of pupils in a way that builds character, resilience and happiness.
(The writer is Chief Education Officer, Gems Education)

• UAE