Beneath the Wheel is one of Hesse's first novels and severely criticises education that focuses only on students' academic performance.
It's probably Yasushi's way of saying that there are other ways that a person's worth can be measured.
Abstract talents such as painting, singing, dancing, etc. can't be confined to grades and passing marks. That goes the same for diplomacy, negotiation skills, effective communication, leadership, etc.
Real friendship is not a talent, but it does also count as a way of assessing a person's worth. That includes trustworthiness, reliability, loyalty, honesty, courage, etc. These are not easily measured but definitely builds on your character as a human being.
All in all, these are things that are seen more in application in real life than theory.
Academic performance is relative only to what you will be in the future. And we all know that the future most of the time does not happen as we want it to be.