Rushing School Children Affects Mental Health — Adamu Adamu

Mallam Adamu Adamu, the Minister of Education has said that rushing children to behave like adults when they are not old enough affects their mental memory and development process adversely.

The Minister revealed this while speaking at the Stakeholders Town Hall meeting for the Hurried Child Project, an event organised by A Mother’s Love Initiative in partnership with the National Orientation Agency (NOA) on Thursday in Abuja.

In commemorating the celebration of World Day for the prevention of child abuse, the theme  ‘The Hurried Child Syndrome’ was discussed to educate the society on the dangers of rushing children in their growth process and the need for proper growth for Nigerian children.

Adamu added that rushing affects the mental memory, processing system, and psychological development process of children. 

“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 attendant devastating effects.

"Since rushed children are made to pass through adulthood-related stress, they in turn 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 their parents. Some also subsequently become anxiety-ridden and end up with sleep disorder, suicide, depression drugs, and crime in other to meet their parent's desire,” he said.

Represented by Adekola Ben, the Director, Senior Secondary Schools, Federal Ministry of Education, the Minister noted that inadequate enforcement of the National Policy on Education and lack of sensitisation on the negative effects of rushing on children and the society has promoted 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 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.

“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.” the Minister added.

Adamu further advised parents to allow their children to go through the necessary process no matter how smart they think they are.