The 8th Grade students have recently been introduced to the subject selections for their E-assessment, which occur at the end of 10th grade. This is a great opportunity for them as they are given a wider range of subjects to choose from compared to previous grades, who had barely any choices. This has been an exciting experience for them but also a difficult one as there is a lot of pressure on the students to make decisions that cannot be changed. While there are many positives to being given the choices, there are also many challenges. 

The subjects for 9th and 10th grade have changed significantly over the last few years.  Last year, the 9th graders were not allowed to drop any sciences or choose any humanities. Now, there is much more freedom to drop and choose subjects, with the addition of 4 new subjects under the humanities bracket: Geography, History,  Business Management (BM) and Sports. According to Mr.Tonderai– “These subjects were introduced to enrich the humanities offerings within our curriculum, catering particularly to students inclined towards these areas. Specifically, BM is introduced to provide a practical insight into the business sector, with a special focus on Entrepreneurship, and it’s expected to evolve and expand in the coming years.” The additional subjects give a much more in-depth learning to Humanities, which can help them greatly once students come to the Diploma Program.

The 8th graders have been given the option to drop a science (biology, chemistry and physics), choose from the different humanities and mathematics (standard vs. extended), and pick an E-port subject (visual arts, design and technology and music). One of the main reasons for the wide range of subjects offered, as Mr Tonderai explained, was that “[…] we aimed to minimise the amount of unallocated time students might experience by not participating in multiple science courses.” Selecting from this wide range of subjects right now also allows students to pick subjects that they are passionate about and want to pursue in the future. He went on to say– “For example, a student with a keen interest in science could opt for a curriculum with a stronger emphasis on scientific subjects, while another with a predilection for the humanities could focus more on those areas.”  The subjects are divided in a manner that lets students choose subjects that they like while still maintaining prerequisites needed for the MYP certificate. When the students pick subjects that they actually enjoy and can use later on in life, they can work with much more focused quality and passion. This is juxtaposed with the students last year, since they did not get the freedom to choose subjects that were important to them. 

“I think that selecting subjects for our E–assessment is great. I get to drop subjects that I’m not good at and not interested in, and focus on the subjects that I want to pursue. The only drawback is that we only have a month to decide our subjects, which is stressful”, Tara Jaiswal from 8B. Now that the students have the liberty to choose subjects, they get to use their time more wisely, but even with all these advantages, some problems have arisen. Students in 8th grade only got a month to decide their subjects. Being given a deadline so soon has put the students under a lot of pressure, which could affect the quality of their decisions. Choosing subjects is a very important decision for students in the long term, as it can impact what they choose in the DP, and their college applications. This is why students should take their time and give good thought to this subject, without having the pressure of time affecting it. 

Another problem is that, at 13 or 14, how much can you possibly know? At such a young age, the students need to gain more knowledge of what they want to do in life, what they want to major in in college, and even what their actual interests or passions are. These things develop further as we grow older and also can significantly change over the next few years, and being given the opportunity to experiment is key in understanding what we want to do. Having to select and drop subjects right now can eliminate many fields of study that might not interest students now but can in the next few years. Because students have more pressure to choose subjects so early, they might come to regret their decisions later. But overall, getting to choose from the wide range of subjects now lets students focus more on the content that is relevant to them, and that they are truly passionate about.