Why Boys Fail in College
In this essay, Herbert e. Hawks, who is a famous educationist, has technically analyed the problems concerning the failure of boys going college. He has also given the practical suggestion to overcome these problems.
According to the writer, there are two types of the
boys who fail; those who try but fail and those who fail because they do not
try. There are many boys who have the natural ability to do better. They are
serious about their aim but they cannot concentrate on their work. They use to
waste time and finally, this procrastination becomes a habit and they fail to
touch the natural academic boundary.
An important cause of failure of boys is the wrong
decision of the parent about the future career of their son. They force the
opinion that their son should be well placed in the society by adopting the
professions like medicine, engineering etc. They do so without knowing the
interest and aptitude of their son. Such a boy in not able to do better because
he has no natural inclination for a direction mapped out by his parents for him.
The boy wants to join different field but the parents come round to his point of
view when it is too late. This is why; he always remains with the dim chances of
producing the expected results and ultimately loses interest in his studies.
This problem can be overcome if the boy is allowed to decide about his future
career of his interest. No doubt, if there is someone to guide the boys in this
matter, most of the failures can be avoided.
There is another cause of failure of boys in colleges is that some of the
boys, although intelligent enough, yet they carefree. They do their college work
with little effort. Being intelligent they become over-confident about their
abilities. They think that they will get through the college examination with as
little effort as they did in the schools. When the examinations are at hand,
they find it very difficult to have a grip on the whole course and the result is
failure. Such boys should be carefully watched by their teachers and parents to
make them aware of a sense of steady behavior. By undertaking this step, the
graph of failure of boys will come down to much extent.
It cannot be negated that mental satisfactory and peace are essential for
a boy to complete his studies. Mental health is coupled with physical health. If
any of these is not good, he is not able to concentrate on his studies properly.
Tuberculosis, bad tonsils, sleeping sickness, poor digestion and various types
of nervous problems have been diagnosed to be the cause of failure of boys. This
problem can be eliminated if a complete medical check-up of every student is
done after three months of so. The report of this check-up should be sent to the
parents, if a boy is found to be suffering from some disease, he should be
properly treated so that he may be able to produce good results.
The writer points out another important aspect of failure of boys that is
related to the poor parents. They wish that their son should earn by himself
without having a burden on them. If the boy takes a mild jab that does not
affect his studies or health, it is acceptable. On the contrary, if the boy
faces long working hours, it is detrimental to his health as well his studies.
The parents should make their son free from the financial burden
faces long working hours, it is detrimental to his health as well his
studies. The parents should make their son free from the financial burden if he
wants to study. If the parents are not able to afford the educational expenses,
it is the duty of the government to provide stipends to the deserving students.
This will become quite effective and rate of failure will decrease.
The sports and the extra-curricular activities assume their place and
sportsmen is the asset of the colleges. Only those boys should take part in
these activities that are really interested. It has been observed that some of
the under-graduate boys have excessive indulgence in these activities that take
them away from their studies. So it is the duty of the parents and the teachers
to closely watch such students to deviate from their direction.
There are always a few “Lazy bluffers” in college who have no interest in studies. Sometime, it becomes quite difficult to bring them into the main stream of life. Finally, the writer is of the view that the role of a college dean is nothing short of a physician. He should diagnose the causes of failure to recommend the remediable measures to uproot them.
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