Is it still advisable to enroll a child in boarding school?
by Akintola Oluwatobi
Nigeria education system is not immune against the downward spin famous with almost all the sectors of the economy. The situation is adversely affecting the effective functioning, accessibility and quality of education in Nigeria.
Education sector has been overwhelmed by ill conceived policies and corruption resulting in dilapidated and obscure classrooms, lack/inadequate teaching materials, demotivated and poorly remunerated teachers.
Nigeria was ranked 120th out of 136 countries as regards quality of primary education by world economic forum in 2017.
Boarding school, being a crucial part of our educational system known to be a safe haven for parents to ‘outsource’ the care of their child (ren) to teachers and house masters due to factors that may include availability of time due to other engagements, career development, ministerial assignment and more. In as much that the positive impacts of boarding schools cannot be overstated, cases of bullying and abused, homosexuality, malnutrition are daily increasing.
With the reality on ground, one cannot but ask if it is still advisable to enroll one’s child in boarding school away from the watchful and monitoring eyes of the parents. Can we still commit the care of our children into the hands of demotivated teachers who are poorly remunerated in an unfriendly working environment?
Responding to the questions raised by The Naijahomemakers, a nurse and mother of two, Mrs Eniola Adewumi says there are schools and there are schools. She believe that the nascent and formative years of a child should be spent at home because ” boarding is you handing over the care of your children to another fellow which can never be the same as you. If proper training should elude a child at that stage, there is nothing the parents can do afterwards”. She added that the moulding period of a child is between ages five to fourteen or fifteen.
According to Mrs Adewumi, considering that a child is expected to gain admission by sixteen-seventeen years, “it is insensitive to throw them out at their tender age” she stated further that any child below fifteen should not be allowed to go to any boarding school as it is the responsibility of the parents to study their children and know the type of children they are.
She bemoaned issue of bullying and maltreatment of younger boarders from their seniors. Having said that, Adewumi is also wary of negative influence and peer pressure, underfeeding and other unmet needs which can make a child to develop a negative coping mechanism. ” I detest boarding especially for under age”.
Similarly, an accountant and a youth motivator, Mrs Adedoyin Ajiboye says it is not advisable to enroll one’s child in boarding school especially if parents can avoid it. She decried cases of homosexuality, lesbianism, cultism which is now rampant even in primary schools according to her. She added that enrolling a child (ren) in day school will avail the parents the opportunity to monitor them better. She concluded by saying she does not like the (boarding school) idea.
