Fresh Kid has exposed gap in education policy for gifted and talented kids

Gifted Vs Talented kids

Watching the prodigy, Fresh Kid light up when asked to sing, and then shrinks into a typical seven years old when not discussing music is simply impressive.

Parents should be able to identify the unique traits that their children have prior to starting of school. Recognizing that a child is gifted, or talented helps avert the regular charges of misdemeanor that teachers who are often unprepared to identify gifts or talents, label against kids.

Research shows that children who are either gifted or talented, and those who may be both gifted and talented, tend to suffer social alienation within regular school system, get bored easily, and are called on often for acting-out when their motivation and learning needs are neither matched nor satisfied.

Rachel Mendell's 2009 article in Maclean magazine revealed that there are usually less than 0.5% of student identified as gifted or talented in a population of students. But these are national assets that the state should interest itself given the unique abilities and accommodation needs in the school system.

Importantly, gifted children demonstrate exceptional talents or abilities in one or more academic subjects such as math, science, history, geography and so forth. In contrast, talent, not to be confused with gift, means having natural aptitude or skills in one or more practical subjects such as music, dance, athletics, designs, arts, language and so forth.

Ugandan schools are designed to recognize, reward, promote or prune gifts, while despising talent.

Identifying and prioritizing gifted and talented students may be a matter of jurisdictional policy to encompass even the small population of kids who may be both gifted and talented.

In the developed nations, their education systems have evolved to ably identify and accommodate the gifted and talented students through scholarships. By enacting robust national education policies, specialized schools are set up and funded to accommodate, nurture, and celebrate the unique abilities of these students.

Unfortunately, the rigid colonial systems inherited by most African countries did not evolve, instead it constricted in function and purpose while striving to retain its colonial architecture.

The emergence of the 7 years old Patrick Ssenyonga, aka Fresh Kid has challenged this paucity of policy in our school system. Fresh kid is a sensational musical genius who represent the small percentage of extremely talented but often neglected or ostracized kids.

Moreover, such talented ones often drop out of school because of a hostile regular school environment or lack of resource support commensurate with their talent.

Imagine Fresh Kid subjected to a history class of Zwangendaba, Tipu Tip, Nabongo Mumia of Wanga, Khama II, the defund Tenessee Rift Valley Authority and so forth! He would drop out of school!

This may explain why, most of our musicians or artists are marginally educated or outright illiterates!

Government should develop accommodating policy with specialized schools to adsorb and prune talents or gifts. It is high time we started schools for the gifted and talented students. This would serve the kids better, instead of the Ministers threatening the parents of these kids for child neglect.

Certainly, government lacks a comprehensive package for early child development other than their processing every child through UPE and USE.  Marxist Educationist, Paulo Freire describes this system as banking alien and disempowering knowledge to kids.

Fresh Kids needs exposure to the basics of literacy, alright. But an emphasis on his trade – musicology, entertainment, and entrepreneurship in a social and physical environment that reinforces the nurturance of this talent is his path in life.

Our education system has a reputation for producing colonial-type work force – majorly job seekers. Fresh kid, when properly nurtured, is already born into his trade. Fresh Kid is capable of employing thousands, while appeasing millions.  

In this way, Ugandan schools kill talents. Inquire where former Namasagali College talents are!

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