This should be a joyous news for some mothers with special daughters like mine.  I am confused. My daughter passed the common entrance into JSS 1, should i allow her go off to secondary school? Isn't she too young?

Why let her write the exams when you have doubts/not sure she's old enough to stay away from home?

No daughter of mine leaves home for secondary school till she is atleast 10. . . and ooops,I don't have a daughter.

btw,is she off to a boarding school or she's going from the house?If she is not going as a boarder,I think its Ok.

I  finished high school at 15 years and 7 months, was off to Uni almost immediately. My niece got into high school at your daughter's age but she was going from home.

Get her into a very good private school close-by and put her under tight surveillance. A daughter is a treasure to protect at all cost. If you cannot do this, I urge you to get her some other training (maybe in computing). She can head-off to secondary school at 9. You seem to have a brilliant child but her gift needs to be well-managed. This is the job of you her parents. I wish you goodluck!

@ Maclatunji, thank you for your advice. She indeed a gift.

@ Jennykadry, her going from home is indeed the best option.

@ Ifyalways, the decision for her to write the exams was to test her ability and prepare her for what the 'actual' exams will be like but then she made very good grades and her teacher started encouraging that I allow her go off to JSS 1. 

I thank you all and I think i will just allow her finish primary 5 and take the exams again next year.

I don't think there's anything wrong with it. The same way you take her to her primary school everyday is still the same way you do the high school. Get a school close to home and enroll her there(if you want to). Like I said my niece has always been very bright and her grandparents(my parents) and her parents have always encouraged her. The parents looked for a school nearby and got her started, everyday she came back , her mum would sit with her and go through all her assignments with her. This girl was so intelligent that she got a scholarship for a year and for one year the parents did not pay a dime for books or fees, the only thing they paid for was her "School excursion trips". This kids need to be supported and not brought down. Encourage that brain of hers.

@ Jennykadry, you have encouraged me. Thank you

Allow her. In this age where employment age is reducing day by day, pls allow her the early start. My brother finished at 14 yrs. He is 21 yrs now and has finished NYSC and currently doing his post graduate. Is that not better?

@ Blank, you are so right. It is good.

9ja mum,blank has said it all, got into JS1 as well in @age 8,d tiniest in the school then,finished @14 as the headgirl and with a waoh result, @20,I had my 1st degree already, But pls,ur baby still needs all the support she can get,it'll go a long way to help her stabilise emotionally. God is your strength

@ Double Blessing, you are indeed a blessing. I am a single mum and believe me that I need all the strength and advice I can get.

God bless you for your advice and word of encouragement.

Don't put her in boarding, get a very good school close by and be very protective of her.

I really do not think you should send her off to secondary school just yet,

Now nobody here knows your kid better than you do, If your kid isnt mentally ready for secondary school, sending her early into it may cause more harm than good. My advice is look at the child properly and check to see if the child can handle a secondary school environment and its stress and challenges, if not, enroll the kid in a lesson that teaches her secondary stuff while you slowly build the confidence she would require for secondary school into her,

I remember when I saw a 15 year old boy in the university, the kid looked so out of place that he required me and a few other boys to protect him from being exploited and harrassed.

Atimes its not always about the speed with which a child flies through school, but the mental matuirity of the kid, SO on a final note, the decision is yours. Secondary school is where we learn about sex, drugs, alcohol, gangs, etc, Make sure she is ready before you push her in and whatever you do, do not make her board.

Not boarding house sha o,
for me my 8 yr old kid will be in pry school , its not just academics they learn in school and i cannot see what to rush about.

My sis got into sec sch at 9 yr she was very rattled but maybe becos that was boarding house, for me there is time for everything, ain't no rush at 11 yrs old she will be in and finish sec sch at 16years old if she goes straight to uni she will finish Uni at 20.


Enters at 8 yrs finishes sec sch at 14 years and finishes uni at 18 years to have uni's freedom before you are 18 scares me sh*tless sha o.

Just my opinion.

Okija_juju:

I really do not think you should send her off to secondary school just yet,

Now nobody here knows your kid better than you do, If your kid isnt mentally ready for secondary school, sending her early into it may cause more harm than good. My advice is look at the child properly and check to see if the child can handle a secondary school environment and its stress and challenges, if not, enroll the kid in a lesson that teaches her secondary stuff while you slowly build the confidence she would require for secondary school into her,

I remember when I saw a 15 year old boy in the university, the kid looked so out of place that he required me and a few other boys to protect him from being exploited and harrassed.

Atimes its not always about the speed with which a child flies through school, but the mental matuirity of the kid, SO on a final note, the decision is yours. Secondary school is where we learn about sex, drugs, alcohol, gangs, etc, Make sure she is ready before you push her in and whatever you do, do not make her board.

My thots exactly.

@ Horny4u, this is so hard for me but the truth is I really want the best for my daughter. I am almost running out time to take a decision.

I am so grateful for all the advice.

@ Okija_juju, thank you so very much

@horny4u,yeah,it's not just academics been learnt in school,but I think if she feels her child is emotionally stable to cope with JS1,then,no cause for alarm.Absolutely not in support of boarding house as well cos what goes on in the boarding school this days is scary to say the least,there will still be some kids that will start JS1 @age 12,and you will just be speechless @ how dumb some could be, I lecture in a uni and my dear,we see all sorts, it all depends on the judgement the OP can make about her daughter as per her emotional stability.

9jamum:

@ Horny4u, this is so hard for me but the truth is I really want the best for my daughter. I am almost running out time to take a decision.

I am so grateful for all the advice.

@ Okija_juju, thank you so very much

I believe every mom has the manual of her kid in her heart given by heaven.
Trust your intuition , you know exactly what to do.
Pray about it tonight and sleep it over by tomorrow morning you will be sure of the best decision.
I wish you and your daughter all the best.

double blessing:

@horny4u,yeah,it's not just academics been learnt in school,but I think if she feels her child is emotionally stable to cope with JS1,then,no cause for alarm.Absolutely not in support of boarding house as well cos what goes on in the boarding school this days is scary to say the least,there will still be some kids that will start JS1 @age 12,and you will just be[b] speechless @ how dumb some could be[/b], I lecture in a uni and my dear,we see all sorts, it all depends on the judgement the OP can make about her daughter as per her emotional stability.

I agree that we all learn at different speed not sure about dumb though i bet you are a great lecturer.

The final decision is OP's certainly.

@Okija
I was in the Uni immediately after high school and I finished high school when I was 15, nothing like that happened to me, you seem to have forgotten that even though people finish High school at a very early age, they still have Jamb, Waec to deal with, except the parents wanno send her abroad or enroll her in a private uni, people stay at home for 4yrs after high school because they are still battling JAMb and naija's terrible educational system and please add the ASUU strike to it.
@Op
Please inform us of your decision. I for one would advise her to get started, no one knows how many times she's going to sit for Jamb and co(By God's grace not more than once). Truth is in Nigeria, no matter how intelligent you are, if you no know person and work your way into the university little hope for you

,

There's nothing absolutely wrong with allowing your daughter into jss1 @ 8yrs but you'll do well to consider a day school. In my own case,i left for jss1(boarding school) at 8yrs,I couldnt even take care of my stuff,couldn't cope with the food,my grades dropped drastically. Thank God my parents acted fast,i was withdrawn  after 2yrs only to come back home to repeat classes.
@poster,please do not send ur daughter to a boarding school.

.

OP it's up to you ma'am ,
I went to jss1 at 8yrs old too and finished at 17yrs ( sat twice for Waec cos Dad said I need to have distinctions in my Phychembio for medicine and I hate physics) finished university at 22? ( didn't do med eventually) got my msc and dated and engaged for a long time.
Those ^^^ are the advantages .

It also has its Disadvantages too ma'am , like friendship for example , most of my age groups are behind , I only relate with older people, not very cool most times. I'm still very energetic and full of life , I don't wanna do archaic stuff everytime. Sometimes I color my hair pink or green and my staff look at me weird.
My man is the only one that gets me.

Now listen to this, My eldest kid has been offered a double promotion and we declined, I don't wanna let her be the youngest/ naive kid in room full of old school ( that seems to be a pride in Nigeria)

Get the drift? Life's not ALL bout booksmart everytime, there's more to life jare.

I started JSS1 at 9.
I was thrown into the boarding school at that.

No shaking. I'm better than any spartan

2buff: I started JSS1 at 9.
I was thrown into the boarding school at that.

No shaking. I'm better than any spartan

OP 's kid is a girl.

jidegirl12:

OP 's kid is a girl.

I thought what a man can do, a woman can do better

2buff:

I thought what a man can do, a woman can do better

That's an ongoing polemic controversy that is not yet granted in Nigerian / African context.

Women do great things I strongly agree ( I'm an example myself cos of the drive & motivation from my Dad) .... To place them over a man is what I don't agree with.

We are both carnivores but one with strongest / superior canine .

8 years old is damn too young. There should be an age restriction for kids to start school, and this double promotion thing should be scrapped for real. Let them have special programs for the gifted, but not by letting them skip class. starting school at 11 is much better. She may be smart, but is she mature enough to be in secondary school 8 is very young o.

baby_123: 8 years old is damn too young. There should be an age restriction for kids to start school, and this double promotion thing should be scrapped for real. Let them have special programs for the gifted, but not by letting them skip class. starting school at 11 is much better. She may be smart, but is she mature enough to be in secondary school 8 is very young o.

Yes o my sister, There are school for gifted kids but I find it very isolating / nerdy too... I've had my own fair share in life as a result of this. Everybody want you to call them Aunty, is it their fault? My Dad even said he'd have it another way if he could.

jidegirl12:

Yes o my sister, There are school for gifted kids but I find it very isolating / nerdy too... I've had my own fair share in life as a result of this. Everybody want you to call them Aunty, is it their fault? My Dad even said he'd have it another way if he could.

Kids in gifted schools or classes will be taught at a higher and more in-depth level. They will be material for professor type jobs and research or even representing the country or school. When competing with kids on their intellectual level, it will be harder to just scale through their classes as the level of competition is intense. It also challenges them socially and intellectually. These kids are probably bored with "average" people anyway. All this skipping classes, i really dont like it at all. They miss out on a lot. My parents had me attempt common entrance. But that was all it was, an attempt. I was forced to finish primary 6 by all means.

Lol... The more reason I like it here, you must be 5+ before Dec to be admitted to kindergarten , 6+ to grade one, 19+ to college/ university/ training.

Hear this, I remembered my first 3 set of skirts( school uniform ) was sown otta 1 yard of material and I dressed like those Haiku girls with my long stripped socks and runners( called it trainers) and my oversized backpack Was I ever a pushover?

My parents will delay you if you are going faster than usual. None of my siblings were allowed to start secondary school before 12. I started at 11, lucky me. And 3 of them were gifted material. With one being the best in common entrance consistently in the state. He kept attempting, till primary 6 and then they let him start secondary school. rotfl. He had almost all A1's in secondary school WAEC sef. Cleared the whole thing. All science classes. . A lot of kids start early, but burn out in university. Trying to have the fun they were deprived of at home. As most parents push their kids to study, study, study. And deprive them of just being kids. A 14 year old in Uni, surrounded by girls, alcohol and what not. Just imagine. . The kid has to be a really really good child to succeed.