Lagos: A lawyer, Mrs Odera Okonkwo, has advised parents and guardians to allow their children and wards to complete the six-year primary school cycle for a stronger academic foundation.
Okonkwo, a parent of four pupils of Chrisland Schools, Lagos, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
She emphasised the importance of pupils completing their primary education as required by the Federal Government.
The lawyer noted that Nigeria’s education policy mandated uninterrupted six years of primary school.
Okonkwo whose children went through the entire primary school cycle and came out in flying colours, urged that parents should collaborate with schools in upholding the policy.
She noted that the policy was specifically designed to ensure that children would pass through every stage of foundational learning before secondary education.
Okonkwo said that allowing children to experience each class level – from Primary One to Primary Six – would help them to have discipline, confidence, literacy competence and sound reasoning skills.
According to her, these are needed for long-term academic success.
Okonkwo said that many parents rushed children academically instead of allowing them to grow gradually through the approved curriculum from Primary One to Primary Six.
“Children need to pass through the classes steadily because every level builds something important in them academically, morally and emotionally,” she added.
The parent said that the four children did not attend lessons outside school, adding that they excelled by diligently completing assignments and studying supplementary materials provided by teachers.
According to Okonkwo, when schools maintain high standards and parents enforce discipline at home, pupils can perform exceptionally without dependence on excessive private tutoring.
She identified uncontrolled exposure to technology as one of the major challenges confronting children nowadays, warning against replacing book reading with constant phone usage.
`’Phones easily distract children; so, I deliberately made my children to stick to physical textbooks for proper reading culture,” she said.
Okonkwo also said that negative peer influence distracted children from focusing on academics, good behaviour and moral values, urging parents to closely monitor their children’s relationships.
She said that effective parenting would require deliberate supervision, consistency and personal sacrifice, especially in an environment where social pressure competed heavily with educational priorities.
She urged governments, schools and parents to jointly uphold policies and practices that would require pupils to complete the primary education cycle for a stronger foundation.
According to her, any attempt to bypass stages of early learning weakens children’s mastery of essential skills and undermines the broader objective of sustainable educational advancement.