2024-09-20 10:40:00
The editors of Seznam Zpráv have selected interesting opinions for the Readers’ Forum from the discussion on the article on postponement of school attendance. Deputies from both the ruling and opposition parties are preparing an amendment to the Education Act, which should reduce their number.
Read the original article
Lenka P: I worked in a kindergarten for forty years, we worked out individual work plans for children with delayed school attendance based on pedagogical and psychological counseling. Those children, even though we worked hard, were quite bored in kindergarten because they were a year younger than the children we instilled in them what they needed for their development. These delayed children – we worked with them individually, but no extra difference could be seen. They were physically “kings” among those a year younger, but they would have benefited more from the zero grade at primary school.
Vladimir Kamba: Each child is unique, with their own rate of development, which cannot be standardized by state regulations. Although the state may have an interest in increasing the efficiency of the education system, the actual readiness of children for school depends on their individual abilities, emotional and social maturity. Limiting the right of parents to decide when their child starts school means limiting their freedom and the right to adapt education to the specific needs of children.
Moreover, delaying school attendance is not always just a question of the child’s readiness for school, but often also a reaction of parents to various circumstances, for example health problems or family situations. Attempts to reduce procrastination without considering these individual factors may result in the state dictating to parents how they should raise their children, thereby infringing on their right to autonomy and free choice. (editorially abbreviated)
Peter Schneider: Is it some fashion now, to send a child to school at the earliest at the age of seven? Childhood too long? Of course, that child will then excel in the 1st grade and the next above the others who went normally. In that year the child is more mature. There are big differences between pupils in the classes. So let it be enacted immediately only from the age of seven, and that’s it.
Katka Vasakova: It dissolves (postponement, editor’s note) the family situation, the fact that parents and children are together, their individual needs, etc. It doesn’t solve anything for the system – but why do I have to go to school at the age of six just because someone in the system made it up? These handed down things, which actually have no meaning, are now going to be more and more disintegrated – even though there will be more and more pressure from the system to maintain the status quo. It can be avoided anyway and people will continue to do it. Gone are the days when people willingly let themselves (or their children) be recruited into schools, companies, etc., etc. – where the screws will be in something that makes no sense to them (besides “that’s how it is” ).
- Jana Nová (responding): Exactly. Under the current education system and the approach of most teachers to first graders, it is really only up to the parent to decide if the child is ready to enter this gear. And I also don’t understand why it has to be a wasted year. It’s about the psyche of the child, so if he needs an extra year of carefree, I don’t see a problem with that. Except in the fact that the state sees that the thousands of children will earn a year later – but as a result, respect for the child’s needs will return to a good extent. (editorially abbreviated)
Readers Forum
The editors of Seznam Zpráv select the most interesting contributions from the readers’ discussion (some may be editorially shortened). We are interested in your opinions on current topics, and we appreciate debaters who debate politely, to the point, and adhere to the SZ discussion code.
You can also write your observations on the topic to the editors of Seznam Zpráv at forumctenaru@sz.cz.
Alena Nováková: To me, procrastination is the convenience of parents who want to relieve themselves of the upcoming obligations… What is it, let him enjoy a childhood in kindergarten? My daughter was six in August last year and she went to school straight away, she calmed down, she was fine both at school and in studies and sports. She enjoys playing with her classmates in the group and is satisfied. And if people can’t handle their children with the curriculum and education, special schools should have stayed.
Marta Horová (reacted): Here you can see that you have no idea how it goes. That a child is immature for school is not a parent’s decision. The child must undergo an examination by a psychologist who will judge whether the child is mature for school or not. Postponement of school attendance is only allowed on the basis of confirmation from him. Every child is different, and just because your daughter didn’t have a problem adjusting to school doesn’t mean another child won’t. And it’s not just about customization. That immature kid has a problem with school and everyone else has a problem with him. And at the same time, when he goes to school with a delay, he already functions normally at school. And then there are children with learning disabilities, for whom the delay is an absolute blessing.
Ana Petraskova: Many parents see a child with compulsory schooling as a burden because they will have to pay more attention to him, therefore it is more convenient for them to send him to kindergarten instead. However, many of today’s six-year-olds are really not mentally, socially and, unfortunately, physically mature enough to go to school, because at an early age they spend their time mainly passively with a computer or mobile phone, t read, they do not speak, they do not move. And then there is the different quality of primary schools. If a child is supposed to start a terrible drop-in school, but the parent knows that if he waits a year, he will be able to send him to another and better elementary school, then he is simply bumping into the delay.
Zuzana Mikulášová: It makes no sense to rush a child to school at all costs, but it also makes no sense to delay just because he still wants to play in kindergarten. I understand the problem with late born children, where they really are almost a year younger than the rest of the class, but otherwise? Somehow I don’t see the point in that.
Michael Hrubá: Teachers make increasingly high demands on first-year students. I totally understand parents who choose to delay. A child who does not know the alphabet and at least simple numbers at the beginning is terribly disadvantaged from the start.
Readers’ Forum,Postpone,Elementary schools,Children
#convenient #parents #readers #school #postponement