- The final days of the holiday offer families an opportunity to address academic and behavioural gaps.
- Learners should return with clear goals, renewed discipline and strategies to improve on previous performance.
- Candidates, in particular, need consistent revision, adequate rest and parental encouragement as examinations approach.
With barely a week to school reopening, parents are understandably preoccupied with school fees, uniforms, stationery, shopping and other requirements. But amid the rush to prepare the school bag, there is a more important question that deserves attention:
Have we prepared the child?
School preparation should never be reduced to paying fees and buying shopping. A learner may report to school with a complete uniform, new books and a cleared fee balance, yet return unprepared in character, discipline, attitude and academic focus.
The final days of the holiday therefore provide parents with an important opportunity to prepare their children mentally, academically and socially for the new term.
Parents should ask themselves: What kind of child am I sending back to school? What behaviour have I observed during the holiday? Which academic gaps need attention? What goals has my child set for the coming term?
These conversations matter because a successful school term begins at home long before the learner walks through the school gate.
Shopping for school is necessary, but parents should ensure that it does not become the only preparation taking place.
As they purchase books, uniforms and other necessities, parents can also help their children connect these provisions to academic goals. A new exercise book should represent a fresh opportunity to improve. A timetable should represent better organisation. New stationery should support better work habits.
Parents should therefore move beyond asking, “Have you bought everything?” and ask, “What do you want to achieve this term, and what will you do differently to achieve it?”
The answers may reveal areas that require immediate attention.
Was the learner weak in Mathematics? Did they struggle with English? Were assignments regularly postponed? Was revision inadequate? Did excessive use of social media interfere with study time? Were there disciplinary concerns?
Identifying these gaps before school opens gives learners an opportunity to develop strategies for improvement.
Academic success requires deliberate preparation rather than wishful thinking.
Character and discipline matter
Parents should also use the holiday to observe their children’s behaviour.
How do they speak to adults? How do they relate with siblings? Do they take responsibility for household duties? Do they manage their time responsibly? How do they respond when corrected?
Such everyday behaviour provides valuable clues about how a learner may conduct themselves away from home.
Schools cannot shoulder the entire responsibility for developing character. Parents and schools must work together. A learner who understands responsibility at home is more likely to appreciate discipline at school.
Parents should therefore discuss punctuality, respect, honesty, responsible use of mobile phones and social media, relationships with peers and obedience to school rules.
The objective should not be to frighten children into submission, but to help them understand that freedom and responsibility must go together.
Candidates are on the final lap
For examination candidates, the remaining days are particularly important. They are approaching the final stretch of their preparation and should use the available time wisely.
Candidates should review difficult topics, revise consistently, organise their study materials and identify areas where they need assistance. They should also balance revision with adequate sleep, proper nutrition and reasonable rest.
Parents have a crucial role to play here. They should encourage without creating unnecessary pressure, monitor progress without becoming overbearing, and remind candidates that consistent effort is more productive than last-minute panic.
The message should be simple: there is still time to improve, but the time must be used wisely.
Learners must own their preparation
While parents have a major responsibility, learners must also take ownership of their preparation.
Before reporting to school, every learner should have a personal picture of what they want to accomplish. They should set realistic academic targets, organise their materials, review previous work and prepare mentally for the demands of the new term.
They should also reflect on what did not work previously.
If procrastination affected performance, it must be addressed. If poor time management was a problem, a realistic timetable should be developed. If distractions affected concentration, boundaries must be established.
A goal without a plan remains little more than a wish.
A learner who returns to school with goals, discipline and a plan is better positioned to make productive use of the term.
Preparation for reporting back
The actual return to school should also be carefully planned. Learners should report on time, with the required materials and a positive attitude.
This is especially important because shorter academic terms leave little room for wasted time. Delayed reporting, slow adjustment and poor organisation can eat into valuable instructional time.
Early preparation at home therefore supports effective time management and curriculum delivery at school.
Teachers will have syllabuses to cover, assessments to administer and learners to support. When learners report prepared and ready to learn, teachers are better placed to concentrate on their core responsibility—teaching and supporting learning.
Parents, start the conversation
As the reopening date approaches, parents should deliberately create time for meaningful conversations with their children.
Ask them:
What did you learn about yourself last term?
Which subjects need more attention?
What academic target have you set?
What behaviour do you need to change?
How will you manage your time?
What support do you need from us?
These questions may appear simple, but they can help learners develop ownership of their education.
Children need school fees and shopping, but they also need parental guidance, encouragement, accountability and emotional support. Preparing the school bag without preparing the learner is only half the job.
A new term is a new opportunity
The countdown to reopening has begun. Soon, school compounds will once again fill with learners, teachers and the familiar rhythm of academic life.
Parents should therefore use these final days wisely.
Pay the fees. Complete the shopping. Prepare the uniform. But prepare the child, too.
Let every learner report to school with more than a packed suitcase—with a clear goal, renewed discipline, a positive attitude and a determination to improve.
For candidates, this is the final lap. For other learners, it is another opportunity to correct weaknesses and build stronger foundations.
The school gate may mark the physical beginning of a new term, but the foundation for success is laid at home.
When parents prepare the child as carefully as they prepare the school bag, schools receive learners who are not only ready to learn, but also ready to grow.
READ ALSO: Syllabus coverage is not enough: Are learners ready for the next grade?
A prepared learner is an investment in a successful term—and preparation begins at home.
By Astiba Kebong’o
The writer can be reached at jackiekebongo@gmail.com.
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