Merit-based scholarship and how to improve it

Usually merit-based scholarship is given if the student maintains a minimum GPA. How about changing this rule and make merit-based scholarship available based on the improvement a student makes on any subject from one semester to the next? If a student last semester got a C in math and this semester improved her grade to B she gets $1,000, if the grade was improved to A she gets $2,000. If she got the highest grade she can get and managed to maintain it then the scholarship will be a fixed amount, say $500 or something. If the grades drop she gets no money.

The amounts will be the same across all subjects. The differences in the amounts will only be determined based on the degree of grade improvement. I think this system gives stronger incentives for students to perform better at school.

http://www.thinkaloo.com

Kit-Kat in Japan

Today I learned that when Nestle rolled out Kit Kat in Japan, the Japanese couldn't help but notice how close the words "Kit-Kat" were to "Kitto-Katsu" which roughly translates "win without fail". Students began to believe that eating a Kit Kat before they took their exams would result in a higher grade, which was a major reason the Kit Kat brand is doing so well in Japan's overcrowded retail market. Interesting how we can be tricked into consuming a product for its name than its taste. It wouldn't surprise me if for Nestle "Kitto-Katsu" now translates "win without trying" :)

http://www.thinkaloo.com