Should Efforts Be Rewarded in Education?

Should there be rewards for the efforts put in?

A story, narrated by my MBA professor. In a school, somewhere in first world country, the teacher has given a task to the class.

As usual the students divided in multiple groups and asked to carry on with the same task.

All students got engrossed in the activity and doing everything to make it a success.

Teacher took a stroll observing how they are progressing on what has been asked.

Few were trying to make it beautiful, few more meaningful, few trying to make it cost effective and few to make it more utilitarian.

In the given time limit, not all the groups were able to make what they planned to make.

Then there was time for the results.

Teacher called one group on the stage and gave them the prize saying, they are the fastest one to make it.

All other groups watched it and then got silent that they missed on the prize.

But to their surprise, teacher called the one group which made it look more beautiful and handed over the similar prize to that group.

Then she kept calling the groups which were good at some or other thing making the task a fulfilling one and rewarded with similar prizes.

They got astonished, when teacher called a group which didn’t even complete the task and had to leave it in between because of the time limit, saying ‘they put the efforts to their best, but couldn’t finish in time’.

Cut to MBA class — our professor started reasoning how it’s a good lesson that everyone got appraised and rewarded. How it’s important to raise the morale of everyone.

That time I too felt nice. In college life, when we are unaware of real life, this feels like really nice.

But then we got into the jobs and suddenly got hit back with the realities of life. From struggling to get the basic job with basic emoluments to fulfil self and then the extended family was really a big task.

Then in jobs, never found a soft corner for the ones who put efforts to make it happen but didn’t make it or achieve it.

There were never same prizes and no rewards who haven’t met the given criteria. In-fact there is a punishment.

Same is with the life as well.

So, the question is, should we be lenient during childhood days so that they won’t feel left out or unhappy because of not completing something in time or desired way.

I feel, that unnecessarily creates wrong impression among the kids or for that matter in an organisation as well.

Everyone knows, there are only top 1, 2 and 3. Participation and runner-ups never get rewarded.

When I spoke up, what I felt in the class, there were mixed reactions. But still, I feel putting the reality as it is, is always better than creating fake or ideal scenario.

It will help anyone to accept it, face the world considering how it feels and mainly it won’t feel humiliating that time.

What are your views?