Rewards for academic performance are good, although they have both advantages and disadvantages. When it comes to motivating students and reinforcing positive behavior, it becomes a welcome idea, but I feel that if this is practiced continuously, with time, students might start feeling entitled, and it could also bring a limited focus on knowledge acquisition.
Education is powerful and has the capability of changing our society for the better. Even the people we regard as poor families nowadays are still struggling to send their children to school because they understand the importance of education in the long run. However, the sole purpose of getting into school is to acquire knowledge, and in acquiring knowledge, it's better that we watch out for things that could deviate from the main purpose of being in school.
Personally, I love being motivated by rewards, but truth be told, when I can't get the reward anymore, the level of my commitment to such a program might be reduced, depending on what it is. Even staff in different organizations increase their commitment level once a monetary motivation is introduced but return to their way of life when they can't find the motivation. The same thing is applicable to students who are always studying with expectations for rewards; that means that whenever the rewards are removed, they might stand the risk of losing interest in learning. I think if this cash reward is something that happens once in awhile, then it's not bad; otherwise, the negative effects might supersede.
Using my kids as an example, I tried initiating rewards for their studies, and for the main time I maintained this reward, you needed to see how these guys were studying as if they were schooling in Cambridge. Most times, my second son wouldn't even remove his school uniform before attending to his homework and further studies. The little reward motivated them, and while it lasted, the results were evident, but immediately after I removed the reward, they went back to their original study level. Then I had to tell them that they are learning for their own good and not because of reward. I can decide to appraise you once in a while, but that shouldn't be the basis for taking your academics seriously. I talked to them about the need to avoid depending on an external reward to feel motivated, even though motivation is needed once in a while.
Having said that, there are categories of students in each class. Those that pick up lessons at ease, those that need a little push to understand lessons, those that need repetitive learning before they can pick them up, etc. Now, introducing Cash Reward for Academic Brilliance will not only keep the schoolchildren on their toes because they all would crave to benefit from such a financial reward, but it will also serve as a financial relief to their parents. Imagine how the parents of such students who benefited financially will be excited, but my major concern is the possible effect it might have on the students in the long run. You know, anything worth money should be treated as a sensitive case, and that's why I would prefer converting such a financial reward to scholarships or tangible academic materials or tools that will be highly beneficial to those top students.
This is my response to the #hivelearners community contest on the topic titled Cash Rewards for Academic Brilliance
Images were taken and edited in canva
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