Some argue that teachers should focus on academics more than motivating students. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

To begin, without adequate motivation, even the most rigorous academic instruction fails to produce lasting learning outcomes. To clarify, young students who perceive lessons as tedious or irrelevant to their lives tend to memorise material superficially, only to forget it shortly after assessment. For instance, a teacher who merely dictates formulas and historical dates, without contextualising their relevance, risks disengaging pupils who then associate the subject with monotony rather than curiosity. By contrast, when teachers incorporate real-world examples, interactive discussions and encouraging feedback, students develop intrinsic interest in the subject matter, which sustains their engagement well beyond the classroom. This grounding in motivation, particularly during primary and early secondary years, therefore forms an indispensable precondition for effective academic instruction.

However, as students approach public examinations, such as university entrance tests, a stronger emphasis on academic content becomes increasingly justified. This is attributable to the fact that at this stage, students already possess a baseline level of intrinsic motivation, having chosen their subjects or career paths. Consequently, excessive emphasis on motivational activities, such as games or open-ended discussions, may consume valuable instructional time needed to cover the syllabus comprehensively. For instance, senior secondary teachers preparing students for standardised examinations must prioritise rigorous content coverage and practice, since success in these assessments depends primarily on mastery of the curriculum rather than enthusiasm alone. In such contexts, students who have already internalised their motivation benefit more from focused academic preparation than from further encouragement.

To conclude, although academic rigour assumes greater importance as students near formal examinations, I maintain that sustained motivation remains the essential foundation of meaningful learning, particularly during the formative years of education.