A Mother’s Love Initiative (AMLi), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) has called for more awareness on the dangers of rushing children through school and the psychosocial maladjustments associated with it.
Mr Yahaya Salihu, Project Consultant, `The Hurried Child Project’ of the NGO said this on Tuesday in Abuja when he paid a courtesy visit to the Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr Buki Ponle.
He said the Project seeks to educate the Nigerian society on the ills caused by rushing children through school and the dangers to the child and the society at large.
Hurried child syndrome is a collection of stress-related behaviours that occur when a child’s parents expect him or her to perform well beyond his or her mental, social, or emotional capacity.
Salihu who admonished parents against rushing their children through school said the trend was counter-productive to the development of the child and the society.
“We now see children in primary four jumping to secondary school, we see students in SS1 writing JAMB and that is not what the National Policy on Education says.
“When you hurry children through school, you create a situation where you have undergraduates who are not emotionally and psychologically strong enough to bear the rigors of the school, so most of them get easily dragged into cultism and other vices.
“Even when you employ them as graduates, you have to train them on simple etiquettes because of the gap between their mental knowledge and emotional intelligence.
“Some even begin to have high blood pressure early in life, so we should allow them grow naturally,’’ he said.
The consultant said as part of efforts to address this trend, the NGO would be organising a Town Hall meeting on Nov. 17 in Abuja with the theme “The Hurried Child Syndrome: Implications for Sustainable National Development.
Earlier, Mr Davis Elekwa, the Project Coordinator for the NGO said the visit to NAN was to solicit the support of the agency in publicising their activities.
The Managing Director of NAN, Mr Buki Ponle in his response said the Agency was ready to partner with the NGO in their laudable project.
Ponle who was represented by the Editor-Chief of the agency, Mr Silas Nwoha stressed the need for all hands to be on deck to support the project in the interest of national development.
“The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) is always a partner in progress with any organisation that engages in projects that bring development to Nigeria, that is part of our mandate.
“So be assured that we would give you all the support, whenever you want to do your events, just inform us,” he said. (NAN)
