According to the words of many researchers, teachers should lay emphasis on profound comprehension over concentrating on exam preparation. The main reason is that genuine and all-rounded education is not only confined to revising facts and strategies relating to tests and exams. When students expound, interconnect, and appraise the study material profoundly, they foster problem-solving, creative thinking, and application of knowledge within genuine life situations.

These imperatives facilitate a firm foundation for adaptability and lifelong learning, principles that standardized assessments do not completely gauge. Instructing to the exam might heighten the immediate scores; however, it could shrink down the academic plan and diminish learners' motivation. Pupils may focus entirely on passing tests without grasping the concepts, thereby constraining their intellectual and inquisitive development.

The declining curiosity for understanding might result in lack of essential skills for success after leaving school, specifically in post-secondary and anticipated industrial sectors. In the end, it is crucial for instructors to maintain equilibrium between taking responsibility for improving students' performance and cultivating a scholarly setting. While examination scores provide crucial outcomes data, they should not be the solitary scale to gauge education advancement or training effectiveness. Prioritizing profound comprehension motivates learners to have faith in themselves, thereby facilitating an independent mentality, something more valuable compared to a momentary test performance.

Joseph Ozigis Akomodi You raise a critical point about the balance between deep learning and exam preparation. While standardized tests offer measurable outcomes, prioritizing profound comprehension—problem-solving, creativity, and real-world application—equips students with adaptable skills for lifelong success. As you noted, "teaching to the test" may boost short-term scores but risks stifling curiosity and intellectual growth. The challenge lies in designing curricula that honor both mastery and measurable benchmarks, ensuring students leave classrooms not just exam-ready, but future-ready. Perhaps the solution isn’t an either/or but a both/and approach: using exams as checkpoints while fostering deeper understanding through project-based learning, critical discourse, and interdisciplinary connections.

Prioritizing future learning is essential for our future selves. However, this is not the case in most schools. Since teachers are forced to have fastest results to meet the necessities of the competition among schools, they make their students memorize the staff and be successfull in the short term.

Kwan Hong Tan You can integrate both approaches(:

Nazime Tuncay You’ve highlighted a real tension in today’s education system. The pressure for quick results often overshadows long-term learning. Shifting the focus from rote memorization to deeper understanding takes time—but it’s essential if we want to truly prepare students for an unpredictable future.

Zoncita D. Norman Very true, and achieve a healthy balance of both :)

Xiaoyi Zhang