Konkur: 30 – None in Favor of Non-Government Schools

None of the students from regular public schools appear among the top 30 ranks in the three main streams of the 1405 Konkur exam.

According to Ambassador Arjan's report, Aghaz newspaper wrote: As soon as the names are announced, the photos of the best ones circulate from hand to hand. They ask about the hours of study, about planning, perseverance and the desire to pass. But behind these stories of success, a question is less often heard: with what facilities did the students reach this competition? For one, the school provides a study program and support in addition to teaching, and for the other, compensating for the weakness of education has become the responsibility of the family. Both have to answer the same questions, but their path to the answer sheet was not the same.

zero; The share of the normal school from the top of the competition

Examining the academic records of the 30 first-ranked math, experimental and humanities groups of the 1405 entrance exam shows that 19 people, equivalent to 63.3%, were students of gifted schools. Four people have studied in model government schools, four people in non-government schools, two people in Alborz Mandaj High School and one person in Shahid school. The share of normal public schools in this list is zero. In the experimental group, 9 of the top 10 people are Sampadi.

These numbers do not represent the status of all university admissions, but they warn of access to the highest ranks. A school that is supposed to make progress possible for every student, regardless of family income, is not represented on this list. The explanation of this absence with the difference in talents, without examining the educational facilities, is not a complete answer. Further investigations show that out of the top 38 ranks of experimental groups this year, the share of Sampad is 63%, non-governmental schools are 11%, and other public schools are 26%. However, from this last group, 6 people are government samples, one is a witness, and only three are normal government people; That is, about eight percent of the entire list.

What is hidden behind the title "Government"?

Ahmad Mahmudzadeh, the head of the Organization of Non-Governmental Schools and Centers, in a statement, considered the 77% share of government schools in the top ranks as a sign of compliance with educational justice. Emphasizing that Sampad is a government institution, he has described the success of the students of these schools as the result of accepting the best talents and teaching them accordingly. But the state title does not eliminate the difference between a normal school and a selective school. In order to judge about justice, it is necessary to see what opportunities each student had. A school with general admission cannot be considered as a school that selects its students simply because of the common administrative affiliation.

Morteza Nazari, an analyst of education issues, examines the issue from the perspective of human resource distribution. According to him, the transfer of many capable teachers to Hayatanaei, Shahid, Sampad and other special schools has led to the weakening of normal government schools. He considers the concentration of educational facilities and forces in special schools as one of the factors of the decline in the quality of public schools. This criticism shifts the focus from the test result to the previous years: if the opportunity to have effective education is different, the gap in ranks is not created only in the entrance exam.

Talent cannot be measured by the name of the school

Sempad students enter school with exams and strive for success. Ignoring this perseverance is as wrong as ignoring the role of facilities. The school type statistics alone do not determine family income or how much each student spends on education, so not all top-rankers can be considered children of wealthy families. But having talent does not eliminate the need for educational support. Talent must be identified and nurtured; The question is to what extent such support is available for the normal school student. Mehrdad Nazeri, a sociologist, in criticizing the narrow view of elites, emphasizes that a high grade in math and physics alone is not a sufficient criterion, and life skills, self-knowledge, and the ability to communicate with others are also important. He criticizes the segregation of students from the perspective of justice and considers it harmful to reduce education to testing and university acceptance. From this point of view, a good school should enable both academic progress and develop other abilities of the student. Entrance exam rank is one of the results of education; Making it the sole measure of quality abdicates a large part of the school's responsibility.

A cost that turns into an opportunity

The economic power of the family increases the possibility of purchasing additional education; From private classes and mock tests to books and advice. None of them guarantee success, but having access to them can make it easier to practice, get feedback, and fix bugs. A family that can't afford to pay can't make the same choices for their child. In such a situation, the weakness of the school for the family is a deficiency that can be compensated; For a low-income family, it may become a permanent obstacle. The more essential education is moved out of school, the more the responsibility of providing opportunities from the education system becomes dependent on household income. For this reason, the success of a student from an underprivileged area, although valuable, alone does not prove equal opportunities. One should ask how many students with similar abilities have stopped competing due to lack of support? Justice cannot be measured only by the stories of those who have overcome obstacles.

The answer should be found in the school

Research findings about educational justice emphasize the appropriate distribution of resources, access to capable teachers, improvement of teaching skills, transparency of performance and fair behavior in the classroom. Accordingly, providing the possibility of registration is the beginning of the responsibility of the educational system; The quality of the learning opportunity should also be measured. In his recent statements, the head of Mustafafan Foundation has considered it essential to provide students in deprived areas with the appropriate educational facilities at the lowest cost. This goal can be evaluated when the support of the public school is seen in access to the teacher, solving problems and pursuing the student's education. Not all students are going to be ranked first; But no student should be deprived of the opportunity to prepare before the start of the competition, due to the income of the family or the place of study. The answer to a normal school's zero share is not to congratulate the top performers more or to encourage them to try again. Education must show what educational support it has built for students who do not have financial support. As long as the family has to buy the necessary quality outside the school, the equality of entrance exam questions will not compensate for the gap in opportunities.