26/01/2026
Good morning everyone,
Wishing you all a very happy and peaceful republic day š®š³
Just felt like sharing this lovely piece of note. Please read below.
In Russiaās education system, the highest possible score in an exam is 5. And hereās the surprising partāeven if a student submits a completely blank answer sheet, they are still awarded 2 marks.
The first day I learned this at Moscow University, I was genuinely stunned. To me, it felt illogical. If someone writes nothing at all, shouldnāt they receive a zero?
Driven by curiosity, I asked Dr. Theodor Medrayev,
āSir, how does it make sense that a student who writes nothing still gets 2 marks?ā
Dr. Medrayev smiled. Then, in a calm and thoughtful voice, he said,
āZero means non-existence. As long as a person is trying, how can they be zero? Think about itāhow much effort does a student put in just to show up to class? Maybe they woke up before dawn in freezing cold, traveled a long distance standing on a bus, tram, or train. Even if they submit a blank paper, the fact that they came means they tried. So tell meāhow can I give them zero?ā
He continued,
āMaybe the student couldnāt write the answers. But does that mean all their effort should be erased? The nights they stayed awake studying, the notebooks they bought, the books they opened, the struggle they went throughāshould we ignore all of that?
No, my dear. A human being is never zero. When we give zero, we steal confidence, we extinguish the fire inside them. And as teachers, our goal is to help students stand up again and againānot to make them surrender.ā
I listened in silence. Something inside me shook at that moment. I realized thenāeducation is not just about marks or written answers. Education is about keeping people alive, about recognizing effort, about protecting hope.
That day, Dr. Medrayev taught me a powerful truth:
Education is not merely the distribution of knowledgeāit is the practice of humanity.
A zero mark often becomes a death bell for students. Seeing that zero on paper fills them with fear, drains their interest, and slowly builds resentment toward learning itself. But a teacherās responsibility is to encourage, to reassure, to sayā
āYou can do it. Try again.ā
When we give even the minimum marks for a blank answer sheet, what weāre really saying isā
āYou are not zero. You still matter. You are still capable. You didnāt failāyou just didnāt succeed this time. Try again.ā
That is real education.
A studentās future is shaped in a teacherās hands. If teachers become a little more humane, if they learn to see effort beyond numbers, then many discouraged students might dare to dream again.
I feel this story shouldnāt belong only to Russiaāit should be shared with teachers all over the world. Because a zero mark is never education. A zero mark often means ending someoneās journey.
As long as a person is trying, they deserve at least reassurance, at least recognition.
Written by an unnamed student studying in Russia.
Please share this with a teacher you admireāmaybe it will spark a small but meaningful change in our education system.
