OPINION | Kill Favoritsm

Favoritism Kills

Not instantly, not dramatically—slowly, silently, and in secrets everyone already knows. And the ironic part? It kills inside the one place that claims to shape your future: school.

Here’s the truth we need to acknowledge: it’s not that students are “not good enough” to take flight; it’s that their schools never intended to invest in them in the first place. There are students who could’ve been champions, writers, leaders, musicians, athletes—examples, if only they were given the same shot, the same resources, the same opportunities that the favored ones have secured.

Look at press conferences, academic contests, varsity teams, art competitions, student governments. More often than not, the same names circulate. The same students who get the coaching, the funds, the attention, the exposure. Meanwhile, the others—equally talented, sometimes even better—become spectators in opportunities they should’ve had the right to fight for.

We can bleed for excellence, but in a system built on favoritism, the outcome is already predetermined.

Favoritism Doesn’t Only Kill Talent

It kills confidence, whispering into students’ ears that they are inherently “less,” that no amount of effort will ever be enough. It kills curiosity, smothering the spark that makes a student wonder, explore, and dare to dream—why chase a dream that will never be yours to take?

It kills leadership, convincing potential leaders that the path is already blocked, that the podium belongs to someone else before they even step forward. It kills participation, turning classrooms into auditoriums of spectators, as students stop raising their hands to recite, stop trying to become better versions of themselves, stop talking because they believe that their voices don’t matter.

It kills trust, in teachers, in schools, in the very idea of fairness itself. It kills community, carving invisible lines between classmates, breeding quiet resentment, and transforming a place meant to feel like a second home into a competitive hierarchy of the chosen and the overlooked. A study by Tsai (2022) notes that favoritism skews who receives teacher support—leaving others neglected in terms of academic guidance, emotional help, or mentorship.

It kills mental health. According to the Counseling and Wellness Center, children who are subjected to favoritism often face challenges such as depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, difficulties in performance, and, in severe cases, even suicidal thoughts.

I Write This From Experience

Favoritism has been my number one enemy ever since I began my academic journey. I have lost count of the competitions I never got to join, the awards that were never mine, the points deducted on subjective tests because I wasn’t the teacher’s favorite. I have raised my hand countless times in recitations, only to be ignored, while others were called on repeatedly. Favoritism drastically ruined my school life—it killed me.

Killing Counterarguments

Some may argue that the favored students are also talented. True—they are. But talent and privilege are not the same, nor are they mutually exclusive. The problem isn’t that these students succeed; it’s that others, equally capable, are never given the same chance to try. Merit alone should decide who rises—not the luck of a surname or a parent’s position.

Others might say that maybe the students left behind just “don’t try hard enough.” Everyone tries. Some train without proper equipment. Some study without guidance. Some volunteer without recognition. But effort without access is cruelty dressed up as “standards.” Hard work means little when opportunity is written in ink.

And then there is the fatalistic argument: favoritism is inevitable. Human bias may be inevitable, but institutional favoritism is not. Schools can choose to create systems that uplift all students—or ones that favor only a select few. The difference is intentional.

How We Can Kill Favoritism

If we want the future to look different, schools must act now.

Competitions and opportunities should be open, fair, and transparent, where effort and skill—not connections—decide who rises. The days of pre-selecting “usual candidates” must end. Every student deserves investment: training, coaching, encouragement, and exposure that can help them reach their full potential.

Opportunities should rotate, giving everyone a fair shot. Schools must learn to value potential over proximity, and treat recommendations, endorsements, and leadership roles as rewards earned—not inherited. Only by implementing these changes can schools become what they promise to be: places where passion thrives, talent is nurtured, and every student has a real chance to succeed.

Favoritism is corruption in its earliest form. Kill it in schools before it kills us—and before it further grows into the systemic corruption that kills workplaces, institutions, and governments.

Kill favoritism, now.