30/08/2022
DEAR PARENTS *********************
This is worth sharing.
*Primary school education used to be 7 years, Then 6years. At a point in time, due to peer and parental influence it became 5 years* against government's policies.
These days parents will be struggling for the child to be in primary 1 by 4 years old. By 8 years the child would have completed primary 4 expecting to proceed to primary 5 . *This same parent will now try to dodge primary 5*.
Some will even insist on double promotion from primary 3 to primary 5 thereby cutting a year off. *Not caring about the mental growth of the child*. The parent will *insist that the child proceed to JSS1*.
*At this point the teachers must perform magic* so that the years missed will not affect the child *otherwise the game of changing schools begins*. Forgetting that the *child has not gone through the proper stages* of development intellectually.
Then this child will be influenced through college too.
*When this child gets to JSS 2 at 10 years old the parent will insist the child sits for BECE* or junior NECO. By 11 or 12 he will be in SS 1.
*When he gets to SS 2 he will be made to sit for WAEC, NECO and JAMB*. By this time the poor *child is either 12 or 13* .At worst 14.
The child will sit for these exams and *probably pass by influence too*.
He will *get into the University at age 14 or less*. When he gets there, we would have succeeded in influencing the speed of his education by cutting corners, *but have we succeeded in influencing his mental and psychological growth?*
NO.
This poor kid is now an under- graduate, surrounded by worldly wisdom and people from different walks of life. He is thrown into a life he is not ready for. He thinks he is an adult. He becomes a prey to those who want to take advantage of his naivety.
*Most of the time he will find himself lying about his age so that he can belong*.
He starts keeping secrets from parents. *The parents will think he is still the little boy they assume he is*.
Have we noticed that *most kids that fall into these categories start carrying-over courses or absconding from lectures and more*. Not because they are not intellectually good often times.
They have not realised who they are, *what they really want, ability to handle responsibilities*, situations and so on .
*The accepted age of childhood ends at 15. By 16 the mentality starts to change to that of an adolescent. By 18 he is mentally ready to be responsible for his actions*.
By 21 he has come of age and finally, fully an adult. His reasoning and thinking is matured. That is the right age to graduate under normal circumstances.
He finishes service by 22 or 23 and is ready to face the world. On the other hand, he graduates at 18, if the world had not robbed him of his person and is not in deep confusion in his mind.
He finishes the National Youth Service at 19. Most parents who have the means will tell him to proceed for Masters (This is only 10-20%). But if they can't afford it, this poor child is neither here nor there, and the employment markets are not meant for babies.
Frustration sets in, and many things could go wrong *At this point we as parents start blaming the Government and the system we have cut corners against*.
To arrive at educational, policies, lots of intellectuals put their heads together and decide what is best. Educationists, psychologists, and so on are part of these decision making, borrowing leaves from developed countries.
Parents, especially the new generation parents are mostly influenced by peer pressure. So and so's kid graduated at so and so age, mine must either beat it or do same, even if the child is not ready.
*If the school refuses to cut corners,they change the school and register elsewhere*. With the type of competition and scampering for kids by schools, especially with no proper monitor of standards and other things, especially in private schools, we find ourselves selling our birthrights for unforseen (even at that) morsels of porridges.
Dear parents, *a word is enough for the wise, the wise!*
1. Allow your kids to grow, develop and find themselves.
2. Do not force them into adulthood when they are not yet adults.
3. Do not let them think they are what they are not yet.
The world is filled with lots of wolves. These kids need to face them when they can, not before.
*We pray that our kids will not fall victims* ,
But then *we should not push them too hard*.
May God provide for us as we build up our kids. *We as parents shall reap the fruit of our labours*.
Remember *every child has his own personality* . Help them to find it, build on it and not confuse them along the way. *God help all parents and bless them*.
At least to the glory of God, I am privileged to know *that a child in the UK cannot start Nursery School until he is 4 Years*.
Before then, parents must make alternative arrangements for their kids below that age. Corners are not cut, yet they excel. Because they are more concerned about the mental growth of the child.
*If your child is a genius, help him to build on it and find himself. Don't get him lost halfway*.
NB: *Paste it on your School Parent wall*
Let us be the real agent of CHANGE!
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