h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Exams and the public transport system

Posted Jan 5, 2001

Both revision for exams and the contemplation of the horrors that are my modular exams, fill my days at this present juncture. I have three exams to revise for. Now I know that doesn't sound like that many, but when you think that it took the whole of the first 12 week term of my second year at Uni to accumulate all the notes and practical techniques to handle these three hour monsters. There is a lot to re-learn. After the frivolities of christmas it is very hard to do this.
I also think that exams area waste of time and effort. For christ sake, even a monkey could be taught to regurgitate memorised pieces of trivia. So why does the British educational system, supposedly one of the best in the world, insist on making it's brightest and most talented recipients go through the process of learn the facts and techniques that govern their favoured subject. Then force them to sit through three hours of hell, which has probably had months of stressful build up. The exams don't even cover everything that the course has given. Surely a more profitably and thorough way to test the students knowledge and understanding of the subject would be to have some sort of continous assement. Much like those done in the real work place, doing presentations of information to peers, showing evidence of experimental knowledge and technique through actual experimentation, and produce of written reports. I just don't get it!

While I'm feeling in the mood to vent my anger at the inadiqueces of this country in which I live. Our public transport system is a joke at this present time. I don't like to harp on about it because, lets be honest, there are more important matters in the world than how quickly I get from my house to the centre of the miserably little town in which I live, or the price of that journey. I just have to say that in the countries of the developing world in which I have travelled, the public transport systems don't run to tight schedules and don't give the idea that they are efficient and comfortable. They are a means of transport from A to B. Whereas our rail network and bus services do give the inpression that they should be good, but no they have us fooled. The trains run late, even when the lines are at optimum operating efficiency. Now that they are in turmoil, with cracks here, there and everwhere. Trains are cancelled at a moments notice, they run hours behind the published schedule. The trains are never that comfortable to start with. Yet we pay through the nose to use this inefficient and badly run service, the again it's only money. At least the trains are better than the buses. The buses in England are horrendous. Yes again they run late, sometimes not turning up at all, when they do you wish they hadn't. Most have a vague scent of urine with a wonderful undertone of that most enchanting of musks, O.B. There is always some little towny chuntering away to his or her friend about the brilliant drinking session they had last night. Usually sat on some street corner or shop wall, because they aren't old enough or interesting enough to go to a pub or club. And yet again, oh yes you guessed it, we pay extortionate prices for the privelidge of using these wonderful services.

Well that is little rant has excised the demons for today. So I shall leave it at that.

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Latest reply: Jan 5, 2001