Horse  Whip 

Few days after resumption, my friends daughter forgot some things at home and the mother wanted me drop it for her in the school and I agreed, since it was on my daily route.

I went to the school at Rayfield to drop the things for her ‪at about 9:30am‬. The teacher asked me to take a long walk to the hostel to drop it with the house parent.

At first I grumbled but on a second thought I followed the instructions.

At the front of the hostel I noticed some mattresses were laid on the floor for sun-ing obviously. I was wondering if they had board facilities for primary school kids, ‘cause these mattresses were wet. As I was approaching the hostel, the house parent came to collect the items from me so I voiced out my thoughts.

The house parent told me they have two 8 year olds and four 9 year olds in JSS1. This got me thinking, when my children were under 10, they were still under my care learning oral tradition and values, ingrained with rational faith, not ABCD and 1234 which off course the school at primary level was still trying to wrap up. So why are the rush, why the hurry?

As I was wondering what is going on in a society where we have a well known journalist and president’s loyalist as honorable minister of education; then another educational calamity, a one year old child in uniform with a trolley which contains her school books. At this early stage, this child needs to bond, play and learn especially from parents.

On a second thought, maybe I am living in stone age so I need to ask some vital question. At what age do Americans, British and Chinese kids start school?

Generally, in the USA, most children must start school when they are either five or six years old, and can legally leave at 16 or 17 ( although a few states insist in mandatory education up to the age of 18).

In Britain, Most children start school full time the September after they turn four.

In China, their children starts school at the age of 6, in Nigeria we start school at one, get into college at 8, graduate from university at 19 then the same parents of these kids are praying for Nigeria to be like other developed Nations.

I am not asking that kids touch their left ear with the right arm over their hand. However these kids need to be ready mentally and emotionally. Don’t deny a child his childhood and get a baby adult in return. Very intelligent but emotionally unstable or rather incapable.

As I researched both online and in thoughts, the practicality and otherwise, I saw this beautiful horse whip and I am tempted to buy it for the school owner specifically for parents who now shift their responsibility to school teachers and lesson teachers because they are busy.

Let these children find understanding not just Knowledge, certificates are awarded in Learning and in Character. These are formed as these kids grow and mature.