Educational institutions should dissuade students from studying fields of study they are unlikely to succeed in Write a response in which you discuss your views on the policy and explain your reasoning for the positions to take In developing and supportin

The given policy provides educational institutions with unprecedented powers in defining ‘success’ for students. Students should be allowed to fail and realise their potential through tribulations. Educational institutions should be a student’s guiding light – providing them with unwavering support to reach their destinations. The destination, however, should be decided by the student. It is for this reason I believe that educational institutions should not dissuade students from pursuing fields of study they are unlikely to succeed in.

To decide if a student should be dissuaded from studying a subject, educational institutions must decide a criterion for laying out judgements. A teacher, in a class of 50 - 70 students, will not pay special emphasis to every student’s innate abilities and predilections. If test scores are set to be the judging criterion, teachers will misattribute ‘lack of understanding’ as a reason for low grades. A multitude of reasons like parental pressure, household situation, peer pressure, psychological instability can account for unsatisfactory grades. Consequently, the dissuasion that follows will curb the natural development of a student’s intellect. For example, a student scores poor grades in English Literature (in spite of being interested in learning English Literature), it can be attributed to non-English parental background. It will be more in line with the vision of educational institutions to encourage the student to pursue the subject further. Thus, dissuading students will not only unwittingly label them ‘unfit’ for studying the subject, but also, rather ironically, prevent them from being successful.

‘Practice makes Perfect’, an aphorism that unequivocally states perfectionism to be a result of ‘practice’ or ‘hard work’; resonates within the mind as it reviews the policy in discussion. A student with a seeming lack of aptitude for Math may, through practice, perfect Math. If instead, he was dissuaded by the institution to study Math, he will refrain from working hard. Power to make personal decisions will be limited and the student will never explore the full depth of their intellect. He will also develop a sense of inferiority to his peers who are apparently ‘fit’ to study Math – leading to lack of self-confidence and other psychological repercussions. Additionally, students’ interest and abilities can manifest in different stages of their life. Continuing with the student from previous example, if he was dissuaded from studying Math in the fifth grade and develops an affinity for Physics in the sixth grade (Physics requires knowledge of Mathematics), he will be ill-equipped to pursue this interest in Physics – leading him to forgo his fascination. Of course, this argument holds true for any other subject. On this account, a pragmatic approach is to instil the mind of students with qualities of hard work and perseverance, encouraging them to encounter their weaknesses and laying the foundation for success – promoting them to make decisions introspectively rather than handing out judgements externally.

However, sometimes students, even with practice, may fail to understand a subject. This can be linked to a plethora of reasons like autism, ADHD, and dyslexia to name a few. In such cases it becomes necessary to lay special emphasis on their strengths and weaknesses. If these students are forced to study subjects they do not understand at a fundamental level, it will be detrimental to their confidence. Nonetheless, it will be in the student’s best interest if they realise their potential themselves. They should be allowed to experiment and institutions should work collaboratively with the student in his exploration - consequently coming to conclusions, rather than having these conclusions vetted out by the institution. This will help students develop a sense of personal responsibility – an essential ingredient for success in any field of study.

In conclusion, I disagree that students should be dissuaded from pursuing field of study in which they are unlikely to succeed. When students are able to tinker with their minds and skills, they will develop a well-rounded personality. Even if they do not per say succeed in those fields of study to which they display lesser potential for, it is imperative that they preserve to at least understand those subjects. Students will realise the importance of hard-work, an indispensable skill for success. Students will also develop a sense of personal responsibility if they understand their abilities and inabilities by themselves. Overall, it is best that institutions only assist students in their experiments with fields of study, let them experience both success and failure, and consequently make decisions based on empirical data rather than intuitive conclusions.