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What options do students who fail to make it to the next year have? No many. We know this. But the schools in New York were offering such students a chance to make up for extra credits by submitting extra worksheets or attending sessions over the weekends in the recent past.

But the educationists argue that this is abusing the education system on the whole. And under this pressure and view, the state now wants to close this system. In many ways this is a good decision as a student at a school in Brooklyn who was nearly illiterate managed to gain many credits through after school programs he was then directly promoted to the 12^th grade although he couldn’t read or write full sentences in English.

Also many teachers complained that many of these remedial programs meant that students could sit in front of the computers and click on answers and that is how they got through. But this did not ensure whether or not they understood, grasped or learnt anything from the tests. It was purely for passing the students to the next grade. Also to prevent students to drop out from school and high school.

This kind of education system was being implemented because the schools were under tremendous pressure to increase the literacy rates amongst their students. But schools in New York, Chicago and Washington will now have to close down such methods. Such activities were conducted during lunch breaks or after school hours. But after last year’s complaint against impropriety, school teachers and principals are now monitoring all the activities happening in their schools. Therefore, no unwanted credits will be awarded to students. The point here is, the schools did not want to show the high number of drop outs they faced and therefore, resorted to such methods. But it is not working out. It doesn’t make any sense to promote a student who doesn’t know a thing. It seems wrong on the part of the school and its teachers who let this happen. Children are sent to school to study and to learn. It is the teaching staff’s job to ensure that each and every child as fulfilled this. Plus also to know and to help out students who are weak in studies. Hence this system of awarding extra credits is an abuse to the education system as a whole.

Reforming this system is not going to be an easy job and nothing will change overnight. Things will have to taken under rigid control. Every aspect of awarding credits and extra tests will have to be examined to check for cheating possibilities and then remove them.

It might seem unfair to students who have been promoted so far through this system but they will have to realize that this will only help to do learn better and work harder. It is a question of their future and not anyone else’s. Therefore, let’s wait and watch to what the government decides.