Do over-the-top success gifts enhance candidates' performance?

As the academic year comes to a close, the primary and secondary school academic calendar culminates in challenging exams that determine whether a student progresses to the next class or remains behind with those in the lower class.

Unlike students in lower classes, those in pivotal classes like Primary Seven, Senior Four, and Senior Six sit national exams administered by the Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB), which propel them to the next level of education.

Since the introduction of education by the British during the colonial period, success cards have been used to encourage and bolster candidates in their final classes, hoping they will feel confident when sitting for their final papers.

However, this tradition has evolved into an extravagant display. Candidates from affluent families now receive lavish gifts, including phones, money, game pads, and even promises of trips abroad after their exams.

For instance, one Primary Seven candidate, Hassan Muhairwe, received a brand new phone, a substantial amount of money, and several success cards adorned with cash notes.

Hassan's guardian, Sanura Namara, informed New Vision that these gifts came from Hassan's mother, currently working in Saudi Arabia. She expressed optimism that the gifts would motivate Hassan to achieve excellent grades. 

When asked if she considered the gifts excessive, she remarked, "Times have changed. It's not like our time when we received baskets of cassava and sweet potatoes as our success cards. Let them enjoy; it's their time. Whether it's excessive or not, it's their generation."

She further explained that while the money would remain with Hassan, the phone would be kept at home, to be returned to him after the exams, as the school prohibits students from owning phones.

Ruth Nakitto, a senior teacher at Church of Uganda Primary School in Mityana, criticised such extravagant gifts, arguing that they can distract young pupils at the primary level and divert their attention from their main academic goals.

She argued that the pupil might become preoccupied with the prize, spending more time boasting rather than studying, potentially leading to poor results.

"The pupil remains thinking of the prize and praying for time to elapse for him to go and use his phone. He will also spend more time bragging than revising his books and in the end, his results may not be good," Nakitto said.

Nakitto emphasised that a good success card or gift should contain words of encouragement to strengthen the candidate's confidence for the exams.

She also cautioned against visiting candidates a day or two before the exams, as it could shift their focus from their studies to their home environment.

Instead, Nakitto recommended that parents visit two weeks before the exams or send a reasonable amount of money for upkeep along with words of encouragement.

She also highlighted that candidates receiving extravagant gifts could demoralise those who did not receive any, leading them to resent their parents, believing they are not loved as much. 

Like success cards, traditional gifts like mangoes, guavas, cassava, and berries have been replaced by a modern trend that focuses solely on cash. In the realm of romance, a partner might not feel sufficiently loved without extravagant gifts and cash; the exchange of money has superseded the sentiment of rose flowers, and luxurious phones and clothing have taken the place of berries and mangoes.