The Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) has called on government to rescind its decision not to allow children under the age of seven to be enrolled in schools.
Education Minister Dr. John Phiri has announced that Government will not allow schools to enroll candidates into Grade one under the age of seven starting next year.
YALI Executive Director, Andrew Nthewewe, has told QFM News that those days have gone when children have to reach the age of seven for them to be enrolled in school.
Mr. Nthewewe says government should clearly state what it intends to be doing with children who are below the age of seven but are capable of enrolling in Grade one.
He adds that the move government has taken is a threat to the education standards of the country and will not help children in anyway.
He says move will prompt parents to take their children to private schools shunning government schools.
Mr. Nthewewe explains that this will disadvantage parents and guardians who do not have enough money to take their children to private schools because they cannot afford to pay huge sums of money for their children.
This GOVT is full of XXXXX. i cant believe that this govt is even contemplating such a law.I had the privilege of getting my bachelor’s degree abroad and believe you me the average age at first year was 17 years..and they also have a 11 – 12 year primary and secondary school system like us..now tell me how old do they start school?by 7 years they are already in 3rd and fourth grade…please Dr Phiri reverse this insane decision……
Only two bloggers have supported this policy. Yes.
What is the Logic to the decision?
At 5 I was in grade one, In Grade 5 I took the grade 7 exams and passed easily
I completed my secondary school at 14 and I don’t see the farce here
I am now 27 and have done everything I wanted to do
Thanks
Most of these children who start school early turn out to be one of the best students. All my kids finished G12 at 15 and waiting for two years at 18 are at the universities.
Anyway, he needs to know that things have changed and best he can do is reduced the course load at the secondary school. 9 subjects, is too much
The logic behind this backward, retrogressive, !diotic decision is that in the old days, a child had to be able to stretch his / her hand over their head and touch their ear to be admitted to grade one. Some senile degenerate in gabament has estimated that the age of 7 years is approximately when this limb stretching is possible hence the decree.
This is the pseudo-wisdom which these feckless misleaders live by.
I have only one word for them.
Do that nonsense with your own dull child/ children,
but we the people will take our children at age 5 to grade one.
I, for one, do not take advise about how to run my house from failed politicians.
If you listen to them, they will in the next sentence be advising you how to sleep with your wife / husband. You have been warned.
This govt is for the old. All must be old
Is this an indirect way of promoting private schools? Maybe the big man has invested in private schools and is looking for more clients……….. At least if he had said children below the age of six.
Are you in doubt of the fossils government decisions ? Wait and see ‘cos there is more to come.
This system will just encourage corruption. I was not allowed to start school because I was under age but we managed to bribe the headmaster.
6 years in grade 1 is ok, 7year olds this side can read, write with perfect spellings, just make sure you limit their intake with regard to age (brain development,) With this take in perspective, the Ministry of education must work hand in hand with the Ministry of health. I suggest a totally new build up in the structural body of these vital organisations if we have to evolve in this chapter!
Cindy, which side are u talking about, My dota who is 7 at one of the private schools in lsk can even read mmembe’s useless paper.. Just which side are u talking about and remember that in Zambia English language is a secondary language while british and americans, its their mother languages, so the can speak but not write,, U and I know very well that those chaps you live with are asked whether they can write or not!!!
@ Names,
I have no words really, this just comfirms how you guys back home see things, there is a world out there more than America, Britain and their fake lives you believe in so much that you see on TV.
The part of the real world you are unaware of, a child starts Kindergarten at 2 and half years were s or he will be prepared to go to grade one when she is 6, so all these years she will be taught on how to evolve from a toddler to a child, she will be prepared and be educated what to find in the next field from the right way of holding a pencil to formation or words. I dont have time to educate you on how the system works here, you wont get it!
Thats exactly what happens here Cindy. Baby class at 2 & 3, reception at 4, full nursery at 5 then first grade at 6. Nothing special about ‘that side’
My daughter is only 5 years old and going into year 1 next year, 2014.
Education starts from birth, let them start, otherwise, its the likes of Munkombwe who can’t retire because they finished school as grandparents.
what these nincompoops fail to understand is that the world of the sixties is extremely different from the present day! Kids are exposed to an avalanche of information through TV and the internet and they get to learn a lot!! I am continuously shocked by what my six year old talks about and asks, stuff some of us only got to know about when we were kuma grade eight!! What the heck is wrong with these people please?????????
@Dudelove We are being ruled by Dinosaurs!!! thats what is wrong – the old belong to the archives. Ask John Phiri and Sata to dance and check out the Dinosaur DANCE…!
my daughter finished grade 12 at 14 years thanks
I beg to differ with your assertion. Primary and Secondary school in Zambia is a 12 year duration. Even assuming she skipped a year at primary (which is possible), are you telling us that your daughter started school at 3 years? i.e 3 + 6 years for primary school + 5 years at secondary. I am not convinced.
What a government I voted for, everything, from employment, education, retirement benefits, representing the pipo at highest level, elections which have Neva ended from 2011, everywhere in these departments there’s power failure, pf, what’s wrong wit these pipo???? NA R.Banda is better mwe
Its UNIP all over again. Jurassic thinking.
Meanwhile in other countries students are completing high school at 16/17 and earning phd degrees at an average age of 28 years.These p.u.n.k.s need to move with time and learn from other education systems.
At what age did useless Dr. John Phiri earn his doctorate degree ?
Probably at 60 years old. He was mature entry at first degree level.
Ba PF this is rubbish…….mwilatusebanya naimwe
There is no logical explanation to effecting such a policy and who is in support of this? Such a decision should not be left to a Minister to decide but should have been debated in parliament. Better still, it should not have been proposed to begin with. Archaic thinking in the 21st Century. Unbeliveable!
This policy is nonsense, we are behind because people start contributing to development when they are too old. life span is slowly declining, were do you get the luxury of postponing the economic usefulness of an individual? if at all possible these guys should be thinking of ways to enroll at 5 years. am disappointed because the man spearheading this has a doctorate, its an insult to academics.
Most of the bloggers have missed Dr phiri or pf main goal,from what the pf government have been implementing or its policy,its pure Capitalism.only the rich will advance their education as they will enroll their kids in private schools.pf is creating a system were only the rich/politicians class will have the upper hand in controlling or determine the rest of Zambians future.this is why majority of Americans view the Republican party as a party for the rich and racist.the pf is breeding communist mentality ,the Chinese political approach,party officials are supposed to be elected but in pf its appointment,the views of the party count less.i thank Chiluba (mhsrip)for sidelining sata.thank God mcs will not live forever.the best the govt would have done was to build kindergarten across the…
Things have changed. Please the kids are sharp dr phiri.
These guys have no children in government schools. Why dictate pabana abesu fwebalanda?
Just because these guys went to school in ancient times does not mean we should continue with that backward trend of saying a child can only be in grade one when the right arm can go over the child’s head and touch the left ear. That is why kids started school at age seven and above. That practice died years ago. Kids are sharp these days and at age 5 some can even read better than 10 year olds. I do understand that facilities may differ for children in rural areas, but do not make those in urban areas delay their growth on account of this.