UnNews:Exam passes up again - "Kids still dumb" says Government

This article is part of UnNews, your source for up-to-the-picosecond misinformation.

20 October 2006

Some kids are just inherently stupid.

LONDON, England --UK Government sources decry once more the shameful failings of Britain's education system. Despite continual pressure to increase performance in a measurable way, teachers and pupils are failing themselves and each other by allowing the GCSE pass rate to increase year-on-year.

A leading expert in the field, Professor Ihaff Nopanz of the University of Watford (Just off the A41, next to Tesco and the Travel Inn) says that until this situation is rectified, the entire academic community should be ashamed.

"It is because of shameful lapses like this we cannot determine if the Government's initiatives to reduce truancy, increase pay and conditions for teachers and provide better classroom facilities is improving the situation. Teachers across the land should be disciplined, and harshly, to ensure that next year's results are different."

Pupils were asked for their opinions on the matter.

"Well I thought I worked really hard. I revised for four months and I spent weeks honing my coursework right up until the moment of submission. I guess the six A grades I got are just reflections of the system's inadequacy, rather than a reward for my own effort." -- Kenny, 16, Markyate

"Its good to know that after years of being told that these exams are the most important in my young life so far, the national media is telling everyone that the results are meaningless." -- Jackie, 16, Blackditch

On a related note, plans are being drawn up to abolish coursework on the grounds that it is far too easy for children to find the solution on the Internet. Professor Nopanz has something to say on this matter too:

"In this day and age, it is obvious that the ability to memorise meaningless information is far more important than the ability to search the resources available and present the results meaningfully. The children who have taken this short cut will soon find that in real life, you can't just search for solutions to common problems online and amongst your peers - you must suffer and struggle, preferably using a system involving filing cards and logarithm tables."

At the end of the press conference a journalist asked if the results might possibly be a result of kids knuckling down to do some proper work for once, but Professor Nopanz merely inclined his head slightly to indicate for his burly, black-clad minders to remove the troublemaker from the room.

Sources

• "'Five good GCSEs' obtained by 59%" BBC Website, October 20, 2006