IN THE FIRST GRADE FOR THE FIRST TIME

The first bell of the Day of Knowledge will ring soon. 15 September is the first academic day in the schools and universities of Azerbaijan. Someone is already familiar with the lineup outside the school and white shirts, but others see this for the first time. And for teachers, perhaps, it is a common sight: anxious parents and elegant first-graders with shining eyes and bunches of flowers in their hands. It seems that it is the same thing from year to year, but something makes today's first-graders subtly different from those who went to the first grade yesterday and the day before yesterday.

What are former preschoolers like?

Often when dealing with 6-7-year-old children you are unwittingly struck by their development and early adulthood. This is not surprising if we compare their childhood with our own. However, taking into account the progress and development of civilization, this applies to all generations. If earlier preschoolers enthusiastically rushed from house to house and rare child prodigies were considered a deviation from the norm and "nerds", now one can often find a child "coached" in natural sciences so much that adults can only marvel. The wide stream of information flowing from everywhere and the ability to handle a computer and the Internet before going to school are not always good and do not always correctly broaden the mind, but nevertheless, they help to ensure that the child is well-versed in many areas and aspects of life.

And today's first-graders are different by age too. If earlier children were rarely sent to school at seven years, now, even according to the education law, a child has the right to education from six years. And many parents, it must be said, are actively taking advantage of this shift, not wanting to lose a whole year.

However, how legitimate is it? An expert in the field of education, Malahat Mursudli, believes that school pressures and excessive classes may be burdensome for a 5-6-year-old child. "Do not overload the child too much and thus deprive him of his childhood," the expert said.

Aliya Haqverdi, a former teacher herself and a mother of primary school pupil Natavan, agrees with her: "I can say from my own experience that many parents are obsessed with ideas of early development and education and are trying to 'fill' their children with all sorts of knowledge almost from the cradle." Aliya did not send her child on any preparatory courses. Yes, in the first grade, with the acceleration of the curriculum, it was a little bit difficult, but the kids are pretty adaptive and the girl got used to everything within a very short time.

Six-year-old Artem is a bright boy. He knows how to read and write, sculpts from plasticine and admits that "he loves math more than reading". However, his mother, 30-year-old Alla Mammadova, admits that although the child attended kindergarten, all his knowledge is mostly his own merit." We studied slowly for over a couple of years in the form of a game," she said. These skills helped her son to pass the tests in the lyceum. "I thought for a long time where to send the child to study, looked at several schools and eventually settled for a lyceum," says the mother. She was convinced by the fact that in the higher grades in the lyceum more time is devoted to the in-depth study of technical subjects and constant tests in classes and that after the eighth grade weaker students can be eliminated on the basis of examinations. It is clear that this system is designed to continuously stimulate the desire of students to study hard, and although legally it is impossible to expel them without the certificate, it is quite possible to transfer them to another easier school.

This issue - the differences in schools - deserves special attention. In Soviet times, when it was compulsory for all citizens to get secondary education, due attention was also paid to the quality of that education. Thus, most of the schools, regardless of their locations and "prestige", provided a decent and proper level of knowledge to all students. Now, of course, everyone wants to provide their child with the best education. It is no secret that many parents avoid sending their first-graders to regular district schools.

An exam for the child

Valeria Dovlatova lives in a remote area of the city. "Near our house there is a school, but I prefer to send my child to the one I went to myself," says Valeria, a graduate of secondary school number 6. According to her, most of her friends prefer to send their children to the school they have graduated from themselves even if they are far away from their home.

To enter this school, Valeria's daughter attended training courses at the same school from five to six years. "Before admitting children, they test them, but I cannot say that the tests are very difficult," says Valeria. "For example, children may be asked what times of the year they know. There are a number of questions on logic, but they are not too complicated." After a one-year training course at the school, the child is automatically enrolled. For those who did not attend courses in the school, there are appropriate tests. According to Dovlatova, it is notable that the questions in it are about the same as those posed to their younger fellows in the courses.

However, Alla Mammadova has a different opinion: "If earlier a child just passed an interview while enrolling in school, where he was asked basic questions designed to find out the picture of the world, now children face a real exam. Often a child is required to know how to read and write." If a six-year kid "fails" the exam, the institution may refuse to accept him.

A leading consultant of the Ministry of Education, Afat Suleymanova, claims that a child may not be accepted into school based on the results of the examination only if it is a lyceum or gymnasium with a special in-depth curriculum for gifted children. In any comprehensive school such manoeuvres are not allowed.

According to Alla Mammadova, directors of some schools who may refuse to accept a child on the grounds that "there are no places", act against the law on education for all citizens, although there is no law or rule prohibiting or complicating the procedure of admission to any desired school, regardless of its location.

Moreover, says Abdullah Mehrabov, the director of the Institute of Education of Azerbaijan, children who do not pass the exam to the school should still be enrolled in it if this school is the nearest to the pupil's house.

Many may ask a logical question: if by law and justice all children, regardless of their preparedness and development, should be given equal conditions and opportunities for education, how will things be in the learning process in the classroom? How will the teacher be able to make the learning process equally informative and engaging for children who passed the exam and failed it?

First of all, of course, we must take into account the psychological and stress factor. According to Malahat Mursudli, on hearing the word "exam" children often cry from fear, experience great stress and do not even want to go to school.

To facilitate the learning process, Abdulla Mehrabov suggested that like in many countries, all subjects in primary schools should be taught by one teacher. To this end, when hiring teachers it is necessary to test their level of knowledge in various subjects: foreign languages, music and science in addition to more general subjects. At the same time, Mehrabov stressed that there is no need to have deep knowledge of these areas, but it must be enough as part of teaching in the elementary school. Therefore, teachers should be appraised and attend refresher courses.

And another important proposal was made by the director of the institute. He believes that children should be admitted to school after passing the pre-school programme. But needless to say, pre-school institutions in Azerbaijan are at a very low level not to mention the quality of education in them. It is also known that not all parents send their children to kindergartens.

Therefore, Mehrabov suggests forming school classes depending on the level of the preparedness of pupils. In this case, it is not so much about knowledge, but about the physical and psychological fitness. Therefore, children who did not attend the preparatory course should be involved in additional classes - on Saturdays or during the summer holidays. All these activities will help unprepared children to adapt quickly and join the team.

After a few days ... the bell will ring in all schools across the country. For some, it will be a call to a new life. We wish good luck to the little people who enter the magical world of knowledge for the first time!