It has been more than three months that Rabin Shakya, the youngest among 40 kids in Kirtipur Newari Montessori School, has been admitted to the school. Yet he has not been able to adjust to the environment. [break]
Robin´s case is certainly not exceptional. As growing number of mothers go out to work and the joint family declines fast, increasing number of infants and toddlers are left under the care of paid caretakers till their parents come back to pick them up. In want of reliable day care centers, however, many parents leave their young ones at close-to-home pre-schools meant actually for older kids.
"It needs trained nurses and maids to look after infants and toddlers, and basic facilities and suitable environment are equally important," said pediatrician Sanjay Dhowj Joshi. "Small children tend to feel more insecure and that is why they want to be with their mothers all the time."
In the school, Robin shares a room with other ´playgroup´ children aged two-and-half years or more.
When he feels sleepy, he is given a corner in the room where the other children continue to play various games.
"We have not been able to arrange a different room for smaller kids," admits Baikuntha Maharjan, the school principal. "We charge only Rs 1200 per month in fees, so it is very difficult for us to provide good facilities to the children," he said.
According to Joshi, the pediatrician, mixing the smaller kids with older children and not providing them enough emotional and physical care can have serious health and psychological effects. "Today´s working mothers might not be able to stay home for babies, but it is not right to keep smaller children at preschools. Both parents and schools need to understand this," he remarked.
"If I had an option, I would certainly not leave my little baby at a school," said a mother who had come to drop her 15-month-old girl Anisha at Happy Kids Montessori School in Kalanki. "I have to go to work. Her father, too, isn´t free. So I requested the school to take care of my baby for few hours," she added.
Rachana Bhattarai, teacher and founder of the school, said that the school was meant for children above 3 years. But she said it was hard for her to disappoint mothers who plead before her to keep the small babies at her school while they are away at work. "The mothers were almost in tears while pleading to keep their babies here," she said. There are 3 underage children in the school.
Yet in Mount Merry School of Kirtipur, as many as eight children aged six months to two years occupy a separate room. The school established five years ago had no plans to run an infant care center until a year ago.
"This was not a preplanned program. However, just in one year, we have eight infants with us," informed Hari Shankar Maharjan, a founder and teacher at the school. "Looking after the youngest ones is the most difficult task. When they are not well, they cry the whole day," he added.
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