By Sheila Mckenzie-
Parents in the UK must bone up for summer catch up operations for their children who have missed school because of the coronavirus.
This is the only sensible option for parents who do not want their children to fall behind , instead of relying solely on provision from the government.
Incidents happen in life that puts even the best of us at a disadvantage, and it isn’t every time outside help can be readily available just because of a misfortune that occured.
British prime minister, Boris Johnson, promised of a “massive catch-up operation” for children in England who have missed out on months of schooling and promised an announcement by the education secretary, Gavin Williamson, next week.
The catch-up scheme is expected to include vouchers for online tutoring through existing organisations, and programmes offering classes and activities over the summer. Key figures in education are unaware of those plans which the British government is still working out before an official announcement.
Judith Blake, chair of the Local Government Association’s children and young people board, said: “It is vital that children do not fall further behind in their development. With the summer holidays rapidly approaching, we are calling on the government to urgently start a conversation with local authorities and schools to provide clarity on what exactly it is proposing to help children to catch up on any schoolwork they may have missed out on during lockdown.”
The reality of the matter is that parents of primary school pupils need to take responsibility for keeping their children in education mode during the summer. There are no excuses because even unemployed parents can hire affordable tuition for their children on a weekly basis if they are determined to do so. The going rate is between 15- £25 an hour.
Parents with a reasonable amount of education can give their children work to do, test them, and teach them within their knowledge.
The government will probably provide funds for parents wanting tuition for their children or present volunteers to teach them. Extra support from the government goes a long way, but children need to apply themselves to learning, and parents have a responsibility to contribute to their development.
Thousands of primary school children have missed out on months of teaching and learning, but the loss cannot be so significant that determined parents cannot make up for it themselves.
Children are naturally playful, but hardworking children in the country are not so few. Parents have a duty to motivate and discipline their children to develop privately by ensuring they read and testing them on what they read or getting someone competent to conduct the testing.
Almost every child prefers to spend all their time in front of the television or playing with technology , but all can be directed towards learning. As little as an hour a day or every two days of reading and learning counts for a lot in the long run.
Parents need to remember that there are other parents who have got their children in routine of 2-3 hours of reading every day, and those children will have a big head start over your child in secondary school if you stay waiting for the government to come with a bail out plan for your child.
September is three months away, and there is still time for a lot of achievement to made by children led by inspiring parents.