Jennica Garcia disapproves policy of reducing cut-off age for Kindergarten and Grade 1 students.
JENNICA GARCIA- Celebrity and an advocate of natural parenting Jennica Garcia-Uytingco expressed her sentiments with regards to the Department of Education’s new policy of lowering age requirements for Kindergarten and 1st Grader students.
Based on a previous report, Jennica is the daughter of veteran actress Jean Garcia. She established her own name in show business after having appearances in several television dramas in the Kapuso network. Presently, she is married to co-actor Alwyn Uytingco.
As specified in a report from Inquirer, the now full-time mother grieved over DepEd’s new order as she posted a lengthy message in her Instagram account addressing the issue. Attached to the post are snips of the new policy and a photo of her 2-year-old daughter Mori.
The Department of Education’s new policy states that children aged 6 years old by the start of academic year 2018-2019 are qualified to enter 1st Grade, while those who will enroll in Kindergarten requisites 5 years of age by the first day of June.
However, some learning institutions may allow an extension of the cut-off condition as long as the learner must be administered by the Philippine Early Childhood Development checklist.
As per the report, DepEd’s new order did not sit well with Garcia. In her Instagram post, she explained why she firmly disagrees with the policy.
According to Jennica, five-year-old children should not be forced to wake up early and grasp responsibilities in school as a student. She added that it should be the stage where they enjoy childhood – playing with their peers and learning about their own individual skills.
The expectant mom also narrated possible outcomes when children are coerced to go to school at such a young age. She said that children might feel pressure over school duties such keeping up with strict school rules.
Worse, according to Jennica, they may be unfairly branded as ADHD patients when they fail to comply with the instructions.
Jennica’s post garnered reactions from other people. Some of her fellow hands-on moms said they share the same thoughts with regards to the newly implemented DepEd’s order. According to them, the academic capabilities of a child should not be rushed.
