The sight of tender school-going babies every morning especially in urban areas has become a common thing and yet still blood – chilling for many. This has become the norm with parents opting to send their children to school as early as possible compared to before.
Children as early as two years can be seen waking up early and on their way to school instead of staying at home as it used to be before.
Margaret Joseph, a mother of two is one of these parents who takes her tender child to school.According to her introducing her child to school as early as possible is the best way of grooming her small minds and have her ready for the tough Kenyan Education Sector.
A big number of working parents with average income or less prefer their babies to be in learning institution as opposed to being in the house with hired care givers, sometimes even before they get to the required school going age.
Sometimes it means having them in a play group where they come together just to clear their small minds.This is however a better option as opposed to having them in class prematurely,according to Teacher Ann, an early childhood expert and a director.
According to the Director of the school, equipping the mind of a child to understand must begin from the environment.It is also evident that learning must be as much playful and colorful as possible.
More skills however are learnt in class but tender or pre mature school goers are neither in a position to acquire these skills nor bring out their talents.In fact,they may suffer intimidation and low self- esteem for a long time as Teacher Ann explains.
But the questions that many would want to know is…. Are there any lifelong repercussions for this?
Some children on the other hand turn the age of three or four within the school’s second term when other children are already ahead by a term.So what’s their fate when they are taken to join school in the middle of the year?
Children are delicate and their foundation in a world that is growing and evolving competitively should be as firm, reliable and beyond reproach.If you had thoughts of dropping your toddler at school in the middle of the year, now you know better.