The maternity leave in Nigeria is three months or ninety working days. So a new mother who is in paid employment has exactly that time frame to get a live-in Nanny or a day-care centre to help when she gets back to work. At 12 months most toddlers are enrolled into the leave home early brigade because children are literarily forced to grow up to match their parents' work life.

Acting on perception

The school system has been the direct recipient of any merits in sending the child to school early and the most distorted by this ‘new’ lifestyle. Somewhere between the late 80s and early 90s, there was a surge of private schools- this trend came with a parallel school system – a distortion of what was the schooling system at the time in more ways than one. The 6-3-3-4 system, which is largely responsible for the majority of the present-day workforce, reiterates the entry age into primary one as 6yrs of age, the exit or graduation from primary school to secondary school was primary six – meaning that between the ages of 11 and 12, children would be in J.S.S 1 – the first year in secondary school.

The perceived dwindling of the standard of education, the emerging fast-paced lifestyle, the advent of the entrepreneurial generation, may have contributed to the proliferation of private schools, as they appear to be more accommodating of the changing lifestyle. I can vividly remember that while in primary 3, a classmate of ours left us for one of those private schools. The shock came while we were still in primary 4, our former classmate was writing the common entrance exams for entry into a secondary school! We were no failures but certainly, someone who was not necessarily better than us was moving ahead, thanks to the growing alternate school system.

A dovetailing effect

Probably the first time curiosity enlightens the cat instead of proverbially killing it, Young detectives set out to work – employing different tactics- this was the era when parents were ‘rented’ for P.T.A meetings. Our findings? Because of the need to attract more parents/students some of the measures taken were the double promotion bait and the use of textbooks a class ahead, the rote method of teaching was in great use also. Whereas those of us in primary 4 in our government school were beginning to learn to sketch the map of Nigeria and locate the 19/21 states and capitals, our fellow pupils from the alternate system were singing the states and capital as part of their assembly recitations from probably their first day in school. At age 10 we felt like OGs in primary school. Primary 6 seemed like a lifetime! With a former classmate in J.S.S 2 and children much younger than us have already run through the syllabus in primary 5 and headed off to secondary school. Thus the gradual but steady mission to ‘abolish’ primary 6 set into the school system. Entry age mattered not, if your child could as much as smile and indicate that he/she wanted to use the bathroom, they are welcome! A generation and a half later, here we are with nothing less than 18,000 (and counting) private schools in Lagos, different educational systems operating in Nigeria, a new crop of textbooks without book6- since books 6 are used in primary five, the ‘bring back’ primary six campaign, children who are nine years or less in J.s.s1. 15-year-olds in universities and 19year old graduates. Here we are with the employers of labour pegging the human capital entry age at 22! The white-collar labour market expects that you are a university graduate at age 22; Being a graduate means all of 9 years in primary and lower secondary school done, 3 years in higher secondary school done, 4-5 years of university school done, compulsory NYSC done, not discounting the preschool/nursery experience. The average Nigerian spends 20 odd years in school!

Looking Ahead

‘’ Lagos state pegs 12 years as the entry age into secondary school’’ is the reason for going down memory lane. As one person quickly observed, would the children meet up with the 22 years age limit set by employers? I am so excited about the days ahead. As we discover the enforcement date for this new development. My mind is asking questions like…. Let us assume the children who are presently in primary 3 would be the first hit with ’12 years in J.S.S 1’ mandate, bear in mind that at 7 or 8 they have already gone through primary 4 textbooks, what would they be doing until they attain 12 years? Are we about to witness the advent of vocational study centres for secondary school in-waiting students? Would there be an upsurge of sworn affidavits for age declaration for children that young? Would there be a promotion for children who are presently in J.S.S 1 at 9/10 years? Would employers now consider the fact that not all homes can afford strike-free universities and allow older fresh graduates a shot at employment? Would the education community finally have a sit down with the bureau for employment and the private sector to structure a feasible education- employment path/guidelines inclusive of new skills required etc? Can the NYSC align their calendar to match the university calendar?

How about a more generic approach- one that ensures that children of similar age are enrolled into school at the same? With a guideline on what year and month children expected to be in primary one come September (beginning of new school calendar) would have been born in. This approach has worked in education systems around the world. The same one we love to emulate and make parents pay an extra token for. You walk into a class and find that the children are the same age only differentiated by months of birth. Teaching becomes enjoyable when you know that content is matched by age appropriateness. There are geniuses as there are students who may not quite be as strong, provisions are made for different categories of students and every child is carried along. ……. At least we are allowed to think, yeah?