When a Phone Call Made Me Rethink UK schools

I didn't except a casual WhatsApp call to make me question the entire UK education system

Yesterday I was on WhatsApp call with my cousin in America after ages. We were talking normally, catching up on family news, when he suddenly mentioned that my niece gradution is in May. For a moment, I didn't react. the word "graduation cermony" kept repeating in my mind like an alarm. My niece graduating???. My son and she are almost the same age. I didn't know what to say or how to respond.

I felt confused and honestly , a little embarrased when my cousin casually asked "when is your son's graduation?" My mind compelety blank. I couldn't think of anything. It was one of those moments where you feel something is wrong, but you can't explain it immediately.

After a few minutes, I indirectly asked him about the education sytem in America. Seriously I needed to understand what he meant. That's when he explained that it was high school graduation, not university. And as he described it,I realised how different it is from what we experience here in the UK.

He told me how parents and guardians are invited.

How students receive prizes.

How teachers encourage them.

How there are group photos, speeches and memories that stay with them forever.

Every student walks on stage.. not just the top achievers, not just the one with perfect grades, but everyone.

As he spoke, I imagined the scene: proud parents, smiling students, teachers cheering them on. A moment of recognition of compeleting an important stage of life. A moment that say"You did it. We see you"

It reminded me how things used to be for us. We had cermonies after Matric, O Level, GCSE, A Level, FSC...not only after University. There was a sense of achievement at every step. Even if the cermony was simple, it still meant some thing.It marked progress.

But here in the UK, it is very different.

There is no cermony after GCSEs or A levels

No encourgement, no prized, no celebration of effort.

Results arrive by email,and only the highest achievers are sometimes invited for recognition. Frankly to me ,thats feels biased and discourging.

This is especially important in secondary schools, where student face major exams like GCSE, A Level, T level, BTECH,IB Diploma, NVQs, Apprenticeship and others qualifications before entering the university...moments that deserve recognition, encourgement, and sense of achievement.

My daughter is already in the university and my son's A level exams are next month. I don't think these changes will happen soon, but I can still hope for the best. Maybe in the future, other parents and their children will benefit from this kind of positive change.

After speaking with my cousin, something stayed with me. It wasn't jealousy, it wasn't comparison. It was the realisation that a simple cermony can make a huge difference. A moment on stage can boost confidence. A clap from the audience can motivate a child who feels invisable. A photo with teachers can become a memory that strengthens them later in life.

I believe that if UK schoolss introduced graduation cermonies where all parents/gaurdians are invited and every student is recognised, it could reduce anxiety and depression among young people. Not eveything has to be about grades. Sometimes, encourgement is more powerful than achievement.

A cermony is not just an event.

It is a message

A message that says: "You matter.Your effort matters.Your journey matters".

This article is my reflection after that phone call....a reminder that sometimes, small traditions can have a big impact. And maybe, one day, UK schools will realise that celebrating students equally is not luxury. It's a necessity.