I left Liberia for the first time in 2020 and traveled to the Netherlands to obtain an International Baccalaureate Diploma. I had just completed high school in Liberia that same year and graduated as valedictorian of my class, so I felt pretty confident and prepared to a certain extent. I arrived in the Netherlands ready to dominate and be first in the class. I know you're probably thinking, I was a bit optimistic, don't judge me. In my defense, we grow up in Liberia, believing that the educational system there is challenging and that it doesn't get any worse. We are told, "If you can survive school in Liberia, you can survive school anywhere."
WRONG. ABSOLUTELY WRONG. Calm down; let me explain myself.
This statement is true to a certain extent, given the many difficulties the Liberia education system faces, and students still excel academically both in and out of Liberia. (I won't go on to list any of those challenges because I am pretty sure you could give me a long list in five minutes if I asked you. If not, kindly refer to the Liberian National Student Union) Thus, we assume that students will perform even better without those challenges holding them down. However, making such presumptions without considering the fact that the Liberian education system has many shortcomings that may also affect students' abilities to perform academically elsewhere is a bit problematic.
Let's have a closer look at my case. I arrived in the Netherlands with little computer knowledge, which is essential to survive in such a learning environment. Therefore, I had to spend time learning basic but essential computer skills while balancing that with school work and adapting to a new environment. Hence, my classmates with such knowledge were ahead of me, primarily because my time was divided into studying and learning those skills. My computer class in Liberia was an hour spent learning how to switch on the computer and memorizing what it means to copy and paste, and never using a computer (I'm not being sarcastic. I had to define what copy and paste mean on several tests)
Moreover, though I did well in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), my experience with standardized tests was no match for people who have done other standardized tests such as A-Levels, ACT, SAT, or AP exams. These exams prepare students for academic success worldwide, and I would like to argue that WASSCE prepared me for higher education in Liberia and possibly other West African countries. Those other standardized tests aren't required for high school graduates, so what's my point? Why is WASSCE the only form of standardized test that high school students are prepared for and the only option presented to them? Why are students not given the opportunity to do other standardized tests? And when they do get the chance, half of the time, it's because it is a requirement to study abroad at a higher education institution.
Someone may argue that among the numerous challenges students face in the country, not having access to other standardized tests, being adequately prepared for them, or accessing the resources to do so is the least of those challenges. I beg to defer and say it is a problem that needs immediate attention. Why? In this age of globalization and worldwide interconnectedness, striving and succeeding in other places besides one's home is an essential skill.
People are constantly traveling and settling in different parts of the world, and it is a real shame that, besides adaptation, someone has to struggle to understand the basics of a computer and lack some essential skills such as comprehension, critical and innovative thinking because they never had the opportunity to learn such skills or lose a career or academic opportunity because they failed a required standardized test.
Don't get me wrong, I am not a huge fan of standardized tests (another topic for another day), and this is not an attempt to speak for them. I aim to make people understand that the challenges students face in Liberia should not be thought of as tools to prepare them for academic or career success elsewhere. People should see them for what they are, CHALLENGES that NEED to be overcome to ensure students do their absolute best no matter where they are.