{UAH} CAN I TAKE MY CHILD OUT OF SCHOOL FOR BEING A GREATFOOTBALLER?

 CAN I TAKE MY CHILD OUT OF SCHOOL FOR BEING A GREAT FOOTBALLER?

Atim is a struggling single mother. Her 16 year old son Otim Messi has been going to one of the nearby primary schools. However, whenever it is end of term, Otim comes back with a report showing only 30% in all of the subjects, the headteacher's comment is "Great Footballer but needs to improve academically." Everyone in the village seems to agree with this assessment. In fact, there is a team in the Kenya Primier League that wants to recruit Otim. Atim is now considering whether to take Otim out of school and let him join football full time instead of wasting time in school 'things'.

WHAT DOES THE LAW SAY?

Firstly, the law says that every child has a right to education. This means Otim has a right to be in school and get an education. In determining the kind of education or anything to give to a child, the law says that the welfare of a child shall be of utmost importance whenever a person determines any question in respect to that child. This means that in determining the welfare of Otim, his physical, emotional and educational needs must be considered as the most important. For example to send him to a place where they can beat him and abuse him would not be in his best interests even if that place were to pay him a lot of money.

However the question would then be, is Otim's education giving him this if he is only 'aging' in school but does not seem to be picking up any skills or academic qualification? Is the education fulfilling the potential of Otim? If this is the wrong education for Otim, then it is important that Atim tries to get one that allows Otim to achieve his potential.

WHAT CAN ATIM THEREFORE DO?

Although Otim is a great footballer, for his welfare, it may be harmful to take him out of school because it would mean that he would have no other qualification or skills when he stops playing football. This means that if Atim wants to remove her son Otim from the school and take him into football, then she must make sure that if he is to start playing football professionally, he should also be fully attending school that allows him to learn all the relevant skills such as languages, life skills so that he can be a good member of society.

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"When a man is stung by a bee, he doesn't set off to destroy all beehives"

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