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A three-year-old boy was asked to withdraw from his kindergarten just one day after he attended lessons there.
Shin Min Daily reported that the boy started school at a private kindergarten on Jan 18 this year. At the end of the day, his grandmother was told to transfer him to another kindergarten and that the school could not accept him. The reason: He was slow in his speech.
Madam Tay, the child's grandmother, was told that the parents had failed to highlight the boy's speech problem to the school when they enrolled him for lesson therefore they were unable to provide him with the special attention that he needed.
However, the school disagreed.
"On the first day of school, one of the teachers observed that the boy ,unlike his peers, hardly spoke in class. Even when he did, it could hardly be heard." said the head of the kindergarten.
The teacher later requested to meet his parents.
He was told by the father that he was aware of his son's condition but has not brought him to the doctor.
The school pointed out that they had no intention of rejecting the boy but merely advised him to seek medical help before further discussion with the parents.
However, his parents asked to withdraw their son from the kindergarten after he missed three days of lessons.
He should be given another chance
Madam Tay admitted that she felt helpless initially and was worried that he might face another rejection.
However, she was glad that he got a place in another kindergarten.
"He was not required to take a speech proficiency test before entering the school so we were not aware of his problem.
He should be given a second chance. It is too early to determine if the child has a speech problem at this age."
She also revealed that he is undergoing treatment now from a specialist and hopes that it will help to correct his speech.
It was understood that the boy did not encounter any problem when he attended a preschool course which lasted three hours everyday.
There was no negative feedback from the teachers then.
Upon withdrawal, Madam Tay was asked to sign an agreement letter to declare that the boy had speech deficiencies.
She feels that this action was inappropriate as it condemned the child indirectly. She did not sign but paid the school fees for the day.
