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STANDARD OF ACHIEVEMENTS The schools and the universities must be committed to excellence in education , without weakening the obligations towards the less gifted . There must neither be an overemphasis in favour of the elitist few , nor a surrender to mediocrity . There can only be one standard of excellence for all ; we cannot have different standards for different population groups . A single standard of excellence does not mean uniformity of learning or a single curriculum . It lies in the nature of individualized learning that there will be varying levels of advance by the learners , a variety of learning enterprises and a diversity of syllabuses . However , for every subject and for every level there should be maximally high standards , with but one standard of excellence for every area of learning . Achievements in education are , in our time , often measured by counting the number of facts which the student has memorized . In a learning system , the emphasis would shift from testing knowledge to testing the ability of acquiring it , an ability to learn . The tests would focus on several elements , including method of working ; capacity to think ; ability to analyze , evaluate and synthesize information ; intellectual integrity ; ability to apply the knowledge acquired ; ability to make decisions and to communicate ; critical response to the media ; and skills at working with the computer and other technological aids . To translate all this into practice , high-quality guided self-study education must be provided for all ; there must be no lowering of norms . There must be an especially strong academic guided selfstudy programme for those who plan to go to university . Let no one say that the setting of higher standards must surely lead to lower achievement by the many . The opposite is more likely to happen . Educational research supports the proposition that the higher the expectation , the higher will be the pupil's performance . The slower learners should be helped either through remedial training , peer learning or in any other effective way , but without detriment to the average or the university-bound pupils . In the Jewish religious colleges , the Yeshivot , peer learning has proved
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