Lagos- Some educationists on Tuesday said that the linkage classes introduced in public schools by the Lagos State Government to facilitate transition into primary school might not be achieved.
Dr Ganiu Olaogun, Dean, School of Primary and Early Childhood Education, Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Ijanikin, Lagos, said that lack of professional care givers would hinder the anticipated transition.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that transition classes were introduced in public primary schools in 2004 in Lagos by the Bola Tinubu administration.
Olaogun said the linkage classes were introduced to assist children from various homes transit smoothly into the primary school environment.
“We must say that the practices of early childhood education as it affect the care and education of children in public primary schools today has not really enjoyed the care of professionals.
“Lagos State has 1,010 public primary schools and most of these have a linkage and the linkage is what we call either the crèche or the nursery.
“It is a very good and a beautiful contribution of the state government towards the implementation of early childhood education policy in public schools.
“But that policy would not achieve its goal of preparing the child for the smooth transition to basic education if it is not handled by professionals,’’ he said.
“What is done today is that where those facilities exist, the heads of schools just draft anybody, including cleaners to take care of the children.
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“So, we are beginning to show ignorance and lack of understanding of what the early childhood education should look like.
“And so, instead of encouraging parents and children to approach these facilities, we are actually driving them away.’’
According to him, poor appreciation of the policy is manifested in the non-engagement of professionals and the poor handling of children in existing facilities.
He said that administering drugs on the children or coercing them to sleep was not the ideal way of caring for children five years and below.
“Before the child gets to appreciate the importance of basic education, he is becoming disinterested in school.
“It is because of coercion, absence of care professionals and poor environment,’’ Olaogun said.
The lecturer also urged government to make a deliberate attempt in the training of teachers and in wooing end users to see how to assist the commission to make schools to perform optimally.
“Early childhood education is the root of all educational attainment. Research shows that a child with a very good early childhood education will have easy transition to all other levels of education.
“Such people will be able to contribute meaningfully to the society,’’ he said.
For Mr Simeon Fowowe, Head of Department, Early Child Care Education (ECCE) of the institution, there is need for immediate recruitment of ECCE professionals.
“I wonder what is happening to the federal, state and local government without any exception.
“One begins to wonder if the Early Childhood Education (ECCE) is the policy of the federal government.
“The state adopted it hook, line and sinker; they know that the first set of ECCE graduates in Nigeria was in 2013/2014.
“I wonder why government has not written to these institutions demanding for the recruitment of these graduates.
“When they know too well that in Lagos state they have about one 1,010 public schools and each of the schools have a nursery section,’’ he said.
“There is no single expert in Lagos state schools and yet they are comfortable.
“I wonder why the government will spend fortunes on training the trainers and yet no commensurate recruitment of professionals.
“Instead they allow the product of the trainers to be hijacked by private practitioners.’’
According to Fowowe, the first set of the ECCE graduate was 32 while the second set has 37.
He said that the number of professional caregivers turned out so far was low compared with 1,010 public primary schools in the state.
Fowowe also said that ECCE as an education foundation could impact negatively on children in secondary and tertiary education, if not properly managed.
“If the foundation is faulty, what can the righteous do, what has been faulted at that elementary stage cannot be easily corrected at that later age,’’ she said. (NAN)
