21/11/2020
Ivy Fehintola Akolo wrote:
My experience with my kids transitioning from Nigerian to British education.
When we relocated to the UK, from Abuja (2003), our daughter who was 5, had completed primary 1, going to 2. She could write short stories with appropriate punctuations. She could write 1 to 500 while our son who was only 3, was already writing 1 to 50.
I fought and begged the school to put them in appropriate classes, but they refused and asked me why I wanted them two years ahead of their mates. I eventually gave up but worried that they might loose their academic skills.
I was expecting them to be given those endless home works they had. Instead, they gave them spellings (10 new words to learn every week) then spelling test at the end of the week. They brought story books home every week which they had to read every night. My daughter, who was 5, got some maths sheets. They also had lots of simple arts and science projects, that they must do with parents. I learnt quite a lot from doing those projects with them.
I watched them excel mentally, socially and morally.
I got worried when my son never brought home work like, writing numbers 1 to anything. At this age, my daughter while in Abuja, was already writing 1 to 500. So, I went to complain at the school. I was shocked when the school told me they were only doing tens at the moment, not hundreds. But by the time he got to year one, he already developed the skills to write any number. He was already multiplying and dividing numbers and objects too using logic.
I’m not discrediting our teaching skills in Nigeria, because to be honest, our kids do very well when they come to study here. Unfortunately, though, they do lack some social and life skills.
I feel like the pressure can be too much on young kids.
In early years, kids learn life skills with their 5 senses through play and that should be the main focus at this stage. A three-year-old should not be having any test or attending tutoring. We didn’t even have to do those growing up. What does he or she wants to do with states and capitals at this stage?
Fundamental life skills that should naturally develop through plays and meaningful interactions are lost and replaced with knowledge that could be gained much later in life.
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