A preschool in Hyderabad India, Priya Bharathi School has drawn flak on social media for putting up a billboard for their preschool achievers. Some find the gesture as funny and exaggerated while some got mad for giving preschool students the idea of competition at an age where they should still be enjoying school.
Hyderabad Billboard
The billboard posted on the Hyderabad school front shows the top-performing students for 1st class, Upper Kindergarten, Lower Kindergarten, and Nursery. The billboard even indicates the weighted averages of the toppers as if it was a score for a professional licensure exam.
This is disturbing on so many levels. Nursery toppers? LKG and UKG toppers? Sowing seeds of difference between kids at this age when they don't even understand the concept of exams? Ridiculous.
Found this pic on social media and it angered me.#MondayMood #mondaythoughts pic.twitter.com/UtqcR7NODf— Neil D'Silva (@neildsilva) September 30, 2019
Citizens from Hyderabad expressed their ire on social media because of the incident. Children at this age should be enjoying and playing around in school, not competing. The idea of putting up a topper list creates an impression that they are competing in school and the essence of fun will be taken away from them.
The impact of competition at an early age
The Hyderabad nursery is supposed to be a playschool for toddlers, a medium on which they are taught to interact and socialize with others, not a venue for competition amongst each other. When an atmosphere of competition is present then pressure to excel is expected. Some parents will most likely pressure their children to perform better in school to top the class. It brings pride and joy for a parent to see their child being posted in front of other people for an achievement they make. But is it worth it to pressure a child at such an early age?
The idea of academic pressure at such a young age might cause mental health issues to the children in the future. At this age, they are still developing their skills and intelligence. There are stages in growing up that helps make a child more productive in life, forcing something at an age too early might disrupt the natural learning behavior of the child.
The pressure to excel is a common reason for suicide in India. India has a growing ratio of students committing suicide due to academic pressure. Children this young might not understand the effects of the pressure for now, but thriving for excellence will remain in them and one failure might trigger a depressive state leading to suicide.
Let the children enjoy and have fun. Spare them from the pressure of competition in society. There is a time for everything and this is not the right time for these children to undergo that kind of pressure.
