…..weak regulatory enforcement, Lack of Sensitization behind Hurried Syndrome.
The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu has said that rushing kids to behave like adults, and skipping processes can cause undue stress and devastating effects.
Adamu disclosed this while delivering his keynote speech at the Stakeholders Town Hall meeting for the Hurried Child Project, a program held by A Mother’s Love Initiative in collaboration with the National Orientation Agency (NOA) in Abuja on Thursday.
The Theme, ‘The Hurried Child Syndrome’s is in commemoration of the celebration of the World Day for
the prevention of child abuse. This is to sensitize the society on the ills of hurrying children during their formative years, and the need to allow the Nigerian Child grow properly.
The Minister also said that, practice of rushing children can affect the child’s mental memory, processing system as well as psychological development process.
He said “In addition the practice of rushing children can affect the child’s mental memory, processing system as well as psychological development process.
“Rushing children to be wonder-kids even before they can walk can cause undue stress with its attendent devastating effects. Since rushed children are made to pass through adulthood related stress, they in tum begin to exhibit adult stress and related health and adult related delinquent behaviour. Most of them end up underachievers instead of academic prodigy hoped for by the parents. Some also subsequently become anxiety ridden and end up with sleep disorder, suicide, depression drugs and crime in other to meet their parent desire.”
The Minister who was represented by the Director, Senior Secondary Schools, Federal
Ministry of Education, Adekola Ben stressed that, weak enforcement of the National Policy on Education, and Lack of Sensitization on the Negative Impact of the practice on the child and society has driven the Hurried Child’s Syndrome.
“The hurried child syndrome is a popular bug among the elite class. It is a process of transferring their children from childhood to adulthood overnight by skipping the process of natural growth.
“The practice of children skipping classes based on a rigorous academy scrutiny or overage consideration is not new in the educational sphere. However the recent trend in the practice. places it on the status of an acceptable norm, rather than an exception.
“Today most pupils transit from primary five or even primary four to junior secondary 1. This leaves most schools without the primary six (6) classes. This unhealthy trend is also found in the senior secondary school where students in senior secondary school SSI and S$2 sit for terminal and university entrance examinations.
“They are propelled on by their parent’s desire and impatience. This is the hurried child syndrome. This is reflection in some instance of the misconception of the interpretation of the Nigerian Educational system (6-3-3-4).
“The lack of attention to the full delivery of the primary school curriculum with the absence of primary six(6) compromises the child’s opportunity to acquire the full complements, knowledge skills, emotional, physical and moral development as prescribed in the curriculum.” He added.
Adamu advised parents not to rush children or force them to skip classes and the process no matter how bright you think they are.
“Academic excellence is not enough, let them mature, let them go through the process no matter how gifted they are so as not to damage their future.” Adamu said.
Also speaking, the Founder of the Initiative, Mrs Hanatu Enwemadu, urged for more participation of citizens to be sensitised, aware and deal with the Hurried Syndrome.
Hanatu also stressed on how rushing younger children, affects mostly the male child.
She said, “Basically, this program is to sensitize people, to inform our governments to create awareness and a whole lot basically to create awareness because a lot of us do not understand that this practice has an effect on Nigerian child or the African child as a whole.
“Parents and school owners should slow down. We can see our society, our youth, are not doing very well. Remember these children are our future. The future of Nigeria, the future of education. We have policies in place to address this, but like we say, we are all governments in our different industrial opposition. So we have come together to say, look, this is a problem. How do we go about it? we can’t leave it all for governance, we have to work together.”
In her own words, Public Health Physician, Doctor Bukola Ogunkua, said that children are not machines, stating that they underachieve when pushed too hard.
