Schools forcing 6-year-olds to attend Saturday classes — parents

Schools are asking children as young as six years-old to attend Saturday classes to cover for lost time.

Scores of parents told the Star that remedial classes are being held in schools at additional cost. 

The mother of a Grade 2 pupil at Canon Apollo Primary School in Mbotela along Jogoo road said the eight-year-old had been asked to attend Saturday classes. All pupils, including those in Standard 1 were to report to school. 

“My daughter told me that they had been asked to go to school on Saturday with Sh50,” she said. The  administration had not notified them of the directive.

With most children spending close to 10 months out of school, the need to recover lost time has seen schools asking learners to attend class not only on Saturday but also on Sunday.

However, not all parents are opposed to the idea of learners going to school over the weekend. One parent said remedial classes are important as children have been home for long. She, however, agreed that it could also put pressure on children.

The situation is the same in most private schools in Nairobi where the Saturday and Sunday classes have made a comeback.

A parent in one of the Nairobi schools reported that the remedial classes are invoiced separately from the term fees.

In Nairobi, one private school wrote to parents of Standard 6, 7 and 8 notifying them that learners in the three classes are required to board effective immediately.

The letter is dated January 13. Previously only Standard 7 and 8 pupils were required to board. A parent told the Star, “It was a surprise and some parents even had to transfer their children. But the school said the classes were necessary for learners to catch up lost time.” 

 Kenya Parents Association chairman Nicholas Maiyo said the changes in school attendance has been necessitated by the time lost during the pandemic.

On how long it will go on, Maiyo says he cannot speculate but believes it is here to stay. The school calendar is expected to go back to normal in 2023.

“The Education ministry gave schools leeway to  recover the time lost in schools, this is what you are seeing. Each school is doing it their way,” Maiyo told the Star on phone.

He however says the association has always advised schools to consult with parents before they can make any decision.

With too much pressure, psychiatrist Njagi Kumantha argues children are vulnerable to emotional and psychological issues like anxiety. The effects he says, could be the recent spark of violence in secondary schools.

So far, the Star has documented 31 cases of school fires since reopening in January.

But how much pressure is too much to a child? Kumantha argues the normal hours prescribed by the government are scientifically backed to have the utmost outcome in a child.

He recommends that they should be adhered to with preciseness.

"Beyond that, yes a child could bear and the results could be tremendous, perform well and all but you also don’t ignore the damage that comes with it. Straining a child at a younger stage is more dangerous. The brain of a child having not fully developed is prone to more psychological damage,"said Kumantha.

-Edited by Sarah Kanyara