Kampala – Pre-primary schools have lost many continuing learners because their parents have decided to move them to the next level. Unlike in the past when Pre-primary schools would organize colorful events to send off learners from the Top class, this time around, parents have decided to push their children to the next level without the fanfare resulting from the prolonged school closure.
Many parents decided to enroll their children in primary school due to the nearly two-year closure of schools to contain the spread of COVID-19. While the government partially opened primary and secondary schools at the end of the first lockdown, pre-primary schools remained closed.
Janipher Kasisiri, the Director of Kampala Quality Kindergarten, says that following the full reopening of schools she has been receiving calls from parents informing her of their decision to push the learners to primary school.
“The two years lockdown made the learners outgrow the classes. “An example is a learner who was in the middle class during the first lockdown. He/she would have graduated to the primary one class.” She says
Kasisiri however, notes that they are not short of learners since they have enrolled many children between three and four of age in both the baby and middle classes.
Augustine Kayondo, the Headteacher of Christ the King Nursery School revealed that parents have sent more learners to Baby Class whose admissions compared to the Middle and Top where vacancies are still available.
Salmah Nakalyowa, the Principal at Lugard Day-care and Early Learning Center at Makerere University also notes that as a result of the new admissions across all classes, they have dedicated the first two weeks to assessing and reorienting the learners to determine their level.
Smart Dolphins School found a hard time convincing a parent who wanted her daughter prompted to the primary one class. Lamura Uthman, a parent to a five- and half-year-old child, says that her daughter was in a baby class by the time the government announced the lockdown.
She now wants the school to promote her to the primary one. ‘’Let the school give my child some time to adjust to the environment she will be able to catch up,” she said.
Early Childhood Development – ECD experts recommend that children join kindergarten at least three and a half years of age and proceed to the primary level six or seven of age.
The experts argue that automatic promotion has less impact on the kindergarten learners as they are usually based on the age and competencies of a learner to determine their entry-level.
Immaculate Mayira, the secretary of the Early Childhood Development Association Uganda, says the automatic promotion does not apply to the pre-primary schools.
Samalie Nakanjako, a teacher at Jodius Nursery School Kazzo notes that the government pronouncement on automatic promotion has placed them under pressure from the parents to admit their children to the next class even for those who were not studying at home.
While announcing the new school calendar, the minister of education Janet Kataha Museveni said learners in primary one to three that last studied in March 2020 when schools were closed would be promoted to the next classes primary 2, 3 and 4. Under the same arrangement, all children aged six who had not yet been enrolled into school before the lockdowns would be allowed to join primary one.
Source: URN
