These structural failings have deep psychological and cultural effects. When a student repeatedly hears that only test scores matter, failure can become internalized as a personal defect. Wiederkehr et al. (2015) find that low-performing students from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to blame themselves and feel inferior. Children told they are not smart may stop trying, even if they have potential.
High-pressure academic environments can also breed intense anxiety and burnout. Salmela-Aro et al. (2008) report that performance-oriented schools contribute to emotional exhaustion and a reduced sense of accomplishment. The "dark side" of meritocracy is this: when success is seen as a moral badge, failure feels like shame. This emotional cost falls heaviest on students who already face structural disadvantages. Culturally, narrow definitions of merit erode diversity. When curricula and honors focus only on test scores or elite profiles, alternative talents like creativity, leadership, or community service are marginalized. Michael Apple (2013) warns that in meritocratic systems, the values of elite culture, competition and individualism dominate, alienating students from cooperative or community-oriented backgrounds.
Reimagining Education Beyond Test Scores
Critics argue that we need to rethink what "merit" should mean in education. It is not enough to tinker at the margins; many call for democratically restructured systems. Instead of assuming everyone starts on equal footing, schools should actively counteract disadvantage. This might mean investing extra resources in low-income schools, expanding early-childhood programs, and reducing academic tracking.
Evan Mandery (2022) argues for "a broader construction of merit" that values diverse strengths and makes college education more democratic. This could involve holistic admissions, portfolios, or community-based criteria instead of sole reliance on test scores. Promoting a "growth mindset" -- the idea that abilities can develop -- can also help mitigate the fixed-ability mindset that strict meritocracy encourages (Dweck, 2006).
On a cultural level, students should be taught to question unfair benchmarks. Publicizing achievement gaps and addressing them directly can help reshape schooling to support diverse talents. Finland offers an example: it avoids high-stakes testing, funds all schools equally, and targets extra support to struggling students. As the OECD (2018) concludes, "no country in the world has entirely eliminated socio-economic inequalities in education," and raising overall quality requires lifting the bottom as much as the top.
The Dilemma of Education Access
It is undeniable that Java Island is the most favored destination for students aiming to pursue higher education in Indonesia. On this island, for instance, UGM and UI are among the country's top universities. One might assume that students who are admitted to these institutions are the best in Indonesia. However, as previously discussed, many of these students benefit from various privileges such as financially capable families, access to quality tutoring services, and well-resourced high schools. In contrast, students from outside Java, especially those from underdeveloped regions, must work significantly harder to gain admission to UGM or UI. In fact, the disparity in access is often so stark that the difficulty of competing becomes overwhelmingly real.
To address this issue, public universities (PTN) in Java often provide affirmative action quotas to help students from disadvantaged regions gain admission, typically through lowered entry standards. As a result, it is not uncommon to find students from 3T (frontier, outermost, and disadvantaged) areas struggling to keep up with the coursework and academic material in these universities. At the same time, this approach sacrifices fairness for students who might have been more academically prepared but were not accepted due to the limited seats taken by affirmative action candidates. This dilemma has sparked ongoing debate and urgently requires concrete solutions from the government and stakeholders.
Conclusion
Our education system is increasingly recognizing that equity matters. While talent and effort deserve recognition, schools must actively break down the barriers that prevent many students from competing fairly. Reimagining education means building structures that are FAIR and equitable for all. By reallocating resources, redefining achievement, and addressing hidden biases, we can move toward a more equitable education. Until then, the dream of pure meritocracy remains just that, a dream. Our
