Should you make your child repeat a class?

When Betty Jean Nyambura’s firstborn son Emmanuel came to the end of Baby Class three years ago, his teacher labelled him slow-witted and recommended that he repeat the class.

Betty refused to believe that her son was slow but not knowing any better, she agreed to the re-take.

After spending over Sh30,000 in school fees, her son had made little progress academically at the end of the term and had also become quiet and withdrawn.

That was when she and her husband decided to take him to a smaller school.

By the end of that year, the boy had not only caught up, he was doing better, academically, than most of his peers.

Motivated by this experience, Betty started a school in Rongai — St Alban’s Academy.

This being the end of the school year there are many parents who, for a number of reasons, are contemplating having their child repeat a class. Is this a wise decision?

The director of the Lakewood Schools in Nairobi, Mr Samuel Kimamo, says it depends.

Most teachers or parents consider this option if they feel that the child cannot handle the next class due to poor test scores and poor social interaction or emotional behaviour that is off.

“Ask yourself: If the child repeats a class, will this problem improve? And if it turns out that you were indeed wrong, will it be possible for this child to then skip a class?” He adds, “Repeating a class isn’t always the solution.”

BETTER OPTIONS

In addition to having to pay school fees a second time, children who are often referred to as “repeaters” by peers are often taunted, injuring their self-esteem.

Older children especially have more difficulties adjusting because it sends them a message that they are not as smart as their classmates.

“The only time I will allow a child to repeat a class is if the child has the ability but he or she has been in a different school system. In this case a child might need to cover this new system to give him an even footing,” Mr Kimamo says.

Whether he is lacking socially or academically, there are other alternatives that will make a child catch up with his peers without having to lose out on time.

He has found that parents keeping a close eye on the child’s grades or social progress, and hiring a personal tutor for a child are effective alternatives to making a child repeat a class.

SPECIAL NEEDS

Children develop at different rates but when there is a significant disparity between a child and his age mates, it is wise to have a medical evaluation to ensure that he does not have visual or hearing impairments, learning disabilities, or emotional problems.

Rael Injeni found this out two years too late. She had her firstborn son repeat Baby Class twice before he was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

“Children with special needs require special education, not another year in a class. When a child with an undiagnosed condition repeats, at the end of the year, he or she is the older child with special needs, not the brighter one.”

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

Mr Kimamo has also encountered parents who ask for a child to be held back, especially in kindergarten or Standard Seven with the aim of giving them a distinct competitive learning advantage.

He says that most parents would reconsider their decision if they knew that these slight advantage is lost by the time a child enters upper primary.

Your rights

With the system’s fixation with high marks, schools continue to force poor performers to repeat classes while most parents align to the school’s wishes so as not to be locked out.

Mr Kennedy Buhere, the communications officer at the Education Ministry, says that the education policy does not allow this, adding that schools ought to have systems to help those who lag behind catch up with their peers.