I was in the middle of work when I received a notification from Parent Gateway. For those unfamiliar, Parent Gateway is an app developed by Singapore’s Ministry of Education. It allows schools to send announcements and consent forms directly to parents.
To my surprise, it was a warning from the school, stating that Kpo Kia had been late to school four times this year. At her school, students are expected to report at the assembly venue by 7:30 a.m., with a grace period of about 3 minutes. No penalty will be imposed as long as they arrive before the national anthem and pledge are completed.
While I admit we haven’t always managed to send Kpo Kia to school early, we usually arrive within the grace period. We’re quite certain she hasn’t been late more than twice this year.
I shared a screenshot of the alert on Instagram:
Some friends were shocked at how strict the school is about punctuality. One friend thought I was upset with the teachers and said, “Google frontal lobe development stages.. if our school going children can make logical decisions then we don’t have to go thru this stage as disciplinary parents”
My View
I clarified that I’m not upset with the school for enforcing punctuality; I actually agree with it. However, I believe the message should also be conveyed directly to the child, not just to the parents. While it’s not ideal to ‘shame’ a child, they need to understand that they are responsible for their actions and face the consequences of undesired behavior. Of course, the message needs to be delivered in the right tone and with care, but children need to learn accountability firsthand. It’s similar to the situation where parents who are teachers can’t ‘teach’ their children at home.
I’m not sure if my friend fully understood my point. I grew up with discipline enforced (with rod) by my parents, while she had a more lenient upbringing.
What are your thoughts on children being late to school? Who do you think is responsible for enforcing punctuality—the school or the parents? Do you agree that parents should be held accountable for ensuring their children arrive on time?