COMPULSORY SCHOOLING FROM 5 YEARS OLD: THE ADVANTAGES
The objective of the Federation is not to sanction children who have not sufficiently attended nursery school, but rather to facilitate the integration of children into the world of school. An obligatory schooling from the age of 5 years would have several positive effects, as much for the children as for the schools.
1. FAMILIARIZE THEMSELVES WITH THE RHYTHM OF SCHOOL
Getting up each morning at a set time and getting ready to go to school, enjoying recess, sitting down and working, participating in group work. The school has its own rules and rhythm. Integrating into it can be difficult when you have been at home until the age of 6. Compulsory schooling from the age of 5 will allow children to learn at the rhythm of school, which is often very different from that of the home, as well as its codes and habits. The child will thus be in familiar territory from the first elementary school, which will help him to concentrate on his learning rather than to tame a new place to live.
2. GIVE BETTER CHANCES OF SUCCESS
According to PISA, the organization that evaluates the quality of education, children who have been pre-schooled perform better in school for the same socio-economic background. Making school compulsory from the age of 5 would therefore promote success at school and, indirectly, help to combat social inequalities. Indeed, a child who succeeds at school will be more inclined to want to study and obtain a job that will enable him or her to have a good social level.
3. TO KEEP SMALL SCHOOLS ALIVE
If america education has been suffering for several years from a very strong shortage of primary teachers, it is not uncommon to read on social networks the messages of nursery schools looking for one or more pupils in order to keep a nursery school class open. Getting a child into school from the age of 5 will enable many small schools to avoid closing a class, and sometimes even an entire school. And if small schools have a small budget, they often offer a rather privileged school environment. The small number of students makes it possible to form vertical classes that encourage multidisciplinarity and mutual aid among students.
4. MAKE FRIENDS BEFORE ENTERING THE BIG SCHOOL
Being the new kid on the block isn’t fun, especially when you’re in elementary school. Attending school assiduously from the age of 5 will prove beneficial for a child’s social integration. He will have plenty of time to make friends during the third kindergarten, which he will find, for the most part, with pleasure in the first elementary school.
