KOTA KINABALU: It is a normal reaction for children going to school for the first time to experience separation anxiety.
“It is even more normal for young children to experience fear when they go to new places,” said SRJK Chung Hwa Kota Kinabalu headmaster Datuk Eng Thian Leong when interviewed by The Borneo Post on children’s reaction when they first enter preschool as well as when they go to Primary One.
“Although it is difficult to see Primary One pupils crying during their first day at school, you can see that they feel a bit uneasy with their downcast eyes,” he said.
And it is because of this understanding that Primary One pupils in most schools today undergo a one-week orientation period.
“We don’t stress on learning where the Primary One pupils are concerned. We bring them around the school so that they know where the canteen is, where the hall is, where the toilet is and where the gate is; this information is important for them,” Eng said.
At the same time, Primary One pupils are also encouraged to get to know new friends as this will help ease their entry into the new school environment, he said.
Aside from that, parents are also allowed free entry into the school to lessen the stress experienced by the pupils.
“Usually, we are very strict and disallow outsiders from coming in, but for the next few days, we are allowing the parents to wait for their children at the canteen. We have also four security guards to ensure the safety of our pupils,” he added.
A total of 391 Primary One pupils registered at the school yesterday, 30 per cent of whom were non-Chinese.
“I reckon we are still among the most popular of Chinese schools here because of our strategic location, and of course, we also have a reputation of producing good results during the UPSR examinations,” Eng said.
The Borneo Post also visited Shan Tao Kindergarten to witness first-time school goers.
Even from afar, cries and wails could be heard from the kindergarten as well as from the neighbouring Tzu Yu Kindergarten.
Several parents could be seen peering at their children to see if they were acclimatising to their new environment.
Four-year-old Vennie Ng was urging her mom to bring her home.
Tears were trickling down her eyes as she held on to her mom’s hand.
However, her mom told her that she would soon be going home and that she needed to be just a little more patient.
According to her mom, Mrs Ng, Vennie was excited to attend preschool and was not crying initially when she entered her classroom.
“It was when someone started to cry that everyone started to join in, like an orchestra!”
Another mom, who requested anonymity, said her daughter, also four years old, woke up early, took a shower, put on her uniform herself and told her mom not to wait for her at the preschool.
“She kept telling me to go home because the teacher might get angry,” her mom said.
She added that her daughter was often wary of strangers and would steer away from people she did not know.
“Fortunately, her cousin is also enrolled in the same class so she is easing into her new environment well.”
She also shared that her decision to enroll her daughter into a Chinese school was not merely because her child was half-Chinese.
“Economically, it is a wise thing to do.”
Meanwhile, a total of 26,631 preschool pupils will start their schooling this year. Last year, only 25,906 preschool pupils were recorded.
There are also 41,414 primary one pupils registered as compared to 43,778 pupils in 2014. At the same time, a total of 42,487 Secondary One students started their secondary school education yesterday.