Are our students still memorising their way to academic ‘excellence’

In a recent article, the author argues that memorisation is a common habit among Malaysian students, often resulting in a Grade Point Average of 4.0. This habit, reminiscent of Pavlov's conditioning experiment, forces students into a routine of cramming information for exams, rather than fostering holistic and authentic learning.

The author contends that such a learning approach hampers creativity and team cooperation, skills vital in today's corporate world. Tom Peters, a management guru, even cautioned against hiring students with a CGPA of 4.0, as it typically indicates a restricted learning style. The author suggests a potential solution: open book exams, which would eliminate the need for students to memorize large portions of textbooks, encouraging them to utilize their internal toolbox for problem-solving.