Time for boarding schools in Samoa

Dear Editor,

Reading through your editorial relating to closure of schools just got me thinking. Wouldn’t it be great if in Samoa we have more of boarding schools located away from town? 

This way the problem of students who cause trouble including in town and distracting people’s business would be reduced. 

With boarding schools, our teachers and elders can instill the right ethics in children without any disruption and students would only come home for periodic holidays. 

With this approach, we would be building a stronger future of responsible and educated citizens. Closure of the schools could be a great short-term intervention in sending a powerful message but a longer solution could be to have more boarding schools perhaps. 

Our current problem seems to be we have too many day schools as opposed to boarding schools and yet the parents hardly have anytime to fully supervise their children since they are busy trying to make ends meet.

Boarding schools are known to have advantages and disadvantages as below:

 “The debate about whether boarding schools or day schools are a better option is an old one and there are different opinions and voices that one can hear. Parents are often left confused and the purpose of this article to provide some guidance and clarity for parents, to be able to decide for themselves as to which is the better choice for their children. Boarding schools have their own set of advantages and they are listed as follows:

Discipline

The foremost function that is performed by a boarding school is providing discipline and a sense of punctuality. Generally, children who are naughty and disobedient are sent to boarding schools to change their attitude and instill a sense of discipline. Boarding schools function on strict timetables and children are required to be punctual for all classes including academic and extracurricular ones.

Teacher Guidance

Boarding schools have limited number of children in each class room as opposed to day schools. This enables teachers to be able to concentrate on each individual student and any student who is lagging behind can be given the appropriate guidance. Moreover, students can also interact with the teachers and approaching them is easy as they are available on campus throughout the day.

Family Problems

Boarding schools are ideal for families that are separate or if parents are constantly travelling. Many parents today are continually on the move from one place to another and they have no time for their children. In such a scenario boarding schools are the best option for children.

Sports and Extracurricular activities

Most boarding schools have excellent infrastructure for sports and all students are encouraged to take part in at least one outdoor sport. This serves to provide confidence among children and also to help them be physical fit. Students who take part in inter school tournaments can interact with students from other schools and this fosters a sense of friendship.

Apart from sports students are also required to take part in extracurricular activities that are designed to build team spirit and help in intellectual development. This is an important aspect of a boarding school and many day schools neglect this aspect of education.

 

Fewer Distractions

Boarding schools offer fewer distractions to the children as they are kept well away from the life of the urban areas. Boarding schools are generally situated outside the city or in a remote place and students do not have the opportunity to involve themselves in any harmful activities or habits. Due to fewer distractions children will be able to concentrate more on studies and other activities.

Summer Programs

Boarding schools offer summer programs for students and some of these are open to students from other schools as well. Students are allowed to interact with others. Summer programs include rigorous physical training programs and others such as fine arts and computer skills.

Thus, boarding schools have their own set of benefits and they are a feasible option and much preferred among many parents today.” (https://www.urbanpro.com/a/the-benefits-of-boarding-schools-over-day-schools )

 

Veronica Williams

Vaitele Uta



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