RostrumNews The obsession with graduating with “excellent grades” at the expense of acquiring problem-solving skills has become a troubling anomaly in Nigeria's educational system and, indeed, in many other countries across the world. From primary schools to universities, students are often conditioned to pursue high scores, impressive certificates and academic distinctions as though these are the ultimate measures of intelligence and competence. Consequently, many learners concentrate more on memorising facts, reproducing lecture notes and anticipating examination questions than understanding concepts, questioning assumptions or applying knowledge to real-life situations. While good grades deserve recognition, they become counterproductive when the pursuit of academic excellence is reduced to passing examinations rather than developing the intellectual capacity to confront societal challenges. An educational system that produces graduates who can recall theories but...