By Dickson Tumuramye
We thank God that our children are reporting back to school next week. There are some schools that have already reported, but the majority of schools have been waiting for the official date.
Many parents do not have all the necessary school fees and requirements, and there is no hope between now and the reporting date. We have schools where school fees have to be paid either in full or in half. They don’t want to know the rest.
The senior ones are starting school soon, and the requirements may be many, yet you have other children in other classes. If you don’t have all the expected resources and you want your children to go to better schools, cut your coat to the size of the clothes you have.
Take them to where your pockets are friendly, which will allow everyone to keep in school as long as family affairs are also running well. Don’t spend all of your resources on one child right now while failing to plan for all of your children for years to come.
Be careful not to compete with other parents and go out of your way to show off at the expense of sleepless nights and too much expenditure. You are not in the same lane. Do what is within your means.
If you want to send your child to a new school, look for one that does not solely focus on academics and does not put too much pressure on a child. We are not gifted at academics alone. Explore other co-curricular activities, especially those that can inspire your child’s talents or gifts or promote other things that can transform your child in all aspects of life.
The issue of homosexuality and lesbianism, or LGBTQ, is increasing in our schools. You can no longer tell if a school is safe or not. Have time to talk about these things with your children. You should equip them with all the knowledge and awareness you have about these vices. Tell them what to do when they are approached. Tell them not to be seduced by money. They should not die in silence if forced into the act. Even if it was done by a teacher or a prefect, your child should report it to you or one of the school administrators.
If you fear talking about it or you are not well equipped with information, get someone else you trust to share with your child what is happening. You should not let your child (or children) go back to school without preparing them for the trials they will face. If you visit them at school, ask how the school is doing and how they protect themselves from things that can endanger their education. Put rules in place that can keep them safe in their careers. Let them know the consequences when they get entangled in non-academic activities like leading strikes, getting involved in relationships and sexual behaviors, or any other behavior that can lead to suspension or expulsion. Life can’t be taken for granted when some parents struggle to fulfill school requirements.
I also congratulate the P.7 candidates who received their PLE results for 2022. Many children have expressed dissatisfaction with the aggregates they received. The people I’ve talked to and their parents will tell you that even if they got first grades, their expectations were for four to six aggregates.
Unfortunately, they got more than that. There is anxiety that they may not be admitted to their first choices of schools. This too will soon happen to the Senior Four leavers, whose exams are coming up in a few weeks’ time.
Life can never be straight-forward, and not everything will be on a silver platter. I am sure these children did their best, and that was the outcome. We may have nothing more to change now, and life has to continue. I don’t believe you should make your child, who, for example, had nine aggregates, repeat P.7 because you both wanted four or five aggregates.
I would like to assure the parent and the child that you can choose another school that is not first-class, and by the end of Senior Four or Six, this child can still go to such schools or institutions of their interest. All this depends on how parents look at life and the words of encouragement we give to our children.
Life is not a garden of roses, but we can still thrive and get to where we desire to be. It is critical to remain focused, hardworking, determined, committed, hopeful, and to place our trust in God. This child needs to know that with God, all things are possible and that they can do all things through Christ, who will strengthen them one day.
As parents, we have other better options that can help this child achieve his or her dream. Don’t look at life from one angle and think that nothing can’t be changed.
Have a positive attitude toward life. Be a good counselor to your children and the best promoter of their abilities in life.Always strive to bring out the best in your child, and don’t focus solely on academic performance.Even the schools that did not perform up to their expectations should know that there is still a chance to shine this year.
Don’t give up on your children, and commit them to the giver of wisdom, our God.
