Experts Caution Parents On Effects Of Skipping Classes

While some parents are taking adequate steps to ensure that their children are done with school at an early age, experts are cautioning parents and schools on the effect of children skipping classes. Folashade Adebayo writes to caution parents and schools on the pitfalls of  class skipping.

 Hauwa Danladi, a mother of two, could not wait to tell her friends that her son, Junior, was about to travel to the United Kingdom to study Business Management in a first-rate university. At 17 years, Junior was one of the youngest and brightest graduating pupils in his secondary school and Danladi had envisaged that he would be through with his first degree programme by the time he turned 21.

But a problem she had not foreseen emerged weeks later when the university declined to admit Junior because he was ‘underage”.

“The university gave us a condition that his sister who was already a student in the university had to stand as his guardian. That was the condition; otherwise, they were ready to withdraw his admission letter.

”With the benefit of hindsight now, I can say it was not worth it. What if his sister was not a student of the school? I could have allowed him to have that gap year and let him go for internship in any discipline. I have come to realise that there was really no need to rush him because that one year could have afforded him the opportunity to gain experience in other areas,’’ she said.

However, educationists and psychologists have said that Danladi’s experience is not an isolated case. As another academic session ends this month, they maintained that many parents and guardians would have started the process of getting admission for many of their underage children into secondary schools or universities as the case may be.

The educationists, who aligned with the National Educational Policy, maintained that a pupil who is not yet 10 years or 18 years is underage and not eligible for admission into secondary school or university respectively.

Noting that pupils need emotional stability and maturity to cope with the rigours of the classroom, the Chief Executive, Edumark Consult, Mrs. Yinka Ogunde, said it was advisable for parents to allow their children to attain the specified age before going to the next level in academics.

“Maturity is an important side component in academics. There are issues such as bullying and social vices in universities as well as secondary schools. Imagine putting a baby or a 16-year-old in such an environment. They would have to live alone, whether inside or outside campus. Nobody tells you not to drink alcohol outside the country. Nobody will ask for your notes. Nobody will also bother why you did not attend class. It is assumed that you are an adult once you are in the university,’’ she said.

But according to the Proprietress, Gloryville School, Lagos, Mrs.Toyin Idowu, regardless of their age, pupils who are allowed to go through primary six are not only more mature but are also able to make decisions and handle peer pressure better than their mates who do not.

She added, “There is hardly a pupil that passes through class six that will need a lesson teacher. Parents who insist that their children move from primary five to secondary school spend so much on lesson teachers because there is a gap to fill. A child that is slightly older than the rest in a class is usually more settled and able to cope with the accompanying rigours of academics. They are able to discover themselves and besides, the curriculum designed for class six actually prepares them for work at the Junior Secondary School level.”

Admitting that there may be exceptional pupils who are above average in academics, she said they represented the exception rather the rule.

“If you are six years old, you are supposed to be in primary one. Appropriate books meant for that class should be used and not books meant for primary two pupils. Double promotion is a wrong academic incentive. If a child is extremely good, it is better to reward him or her during prize giving day. I have discovered that this may be a reason why pupils find mathematics difficult. There will be a gap when a pupil in class one is being taught mathematics meant for pupils in the next class,’’ she added.

Ogunde and Idowu’s views tally with a 2009 study. The study conducted by the Family Health International, revealed that maturity makes a difference in academic performance, particularly in the primary school.

In a study, which covered 35 developing countries and entitled, ‘Pupil Performance and Age’, the international organisation submited that, “in the lower grades of primary school, older pupils generally outperform younger ones. Younger pupils are far more likely to repeat grades than older pupils are. There are particularly high repetition rates among underage pupils in first grade; suggesting that there is an unmet need for kindergarten facilities.’’

Also, a counsellor and psychologist, Mrs. Funmi Adegboye, said there were consequences attached when a child is not emotionally ready for his or her class.

“A pupil who is underage for his or her class is subject to physical and emotional abuse. That child may look for ways to enhance his maturity level in order to cope with peer pressure. At the end of the day, that child may run into challenges socially and academically,’’ she said.

Calling on the government to enforce the provision of its education policy, Ogunde noted that parents and schools would need to cooperate with the government.

According to her, educating and sensitising parents and schools on the psychological benefits of allowing children to go through primary six will make a better impact than adopting punitive measures.

“It is advisable for the government to use subtle measures, otherwise, we may be heading for an era of age declaration to justify their intentions. If parents and schools have a better understanding that there is no real reason to rush children through school, it will be easier to enforce the policy,’’ she said.

Source: Punch