While many students dread repeating a class, some parents also are no different. One phrase often echoes louder than academic support or encouragement: “I will not allow my child to repeat a class.” Some even go as far as ensuring their children are promoted to the next class regardless of what the result or school says. Academic retake is treated almost like a death sentence, something to be avoided at all costs. Parents flinch, teachers tread carefully, and students internalise shame. Yet, beneath this fear lies a critical and necessary part of learning, the right to relearn, to reset, and to catch up. Repeating a class, when warranted, should not be regarded as failure but as an intervention for long-term academic and emotional stability.
In many Nigerian schools, there is an unspoken rule: promote at all costs. Even when a child has visibly struggled through the academic year, unable to read fluently, calculate with ease, or engage critically with content, the idea of repeating is considered taboo by some parents. The child is pushed forward to avoid stigma, to keep up with peers, and to save face for parents who may view it as a mark of disgrace or bad parenting. Pupils who are not ready for the next academic level are likely to fall further behind. Their confidence erodes, their frustration increases, and their performance stagnates. Over time, they may begin to see themselves as incapable learners, not because they lack potential, but because they were never given the space or time to consolidate foundational skills.
This is not just a classroom issue, it’s a systemic one, rooted in a society that glorifies speed and mocks any sign of perceived failure.
Repeating a class is wrongly seen as evidence of laziness, dullness, or poor parenting. Many parents feel embarrassed when their child is asked to repeat, taking it personally rather than treating it as a professional recommendation by educators. Children are quick to absorb this energy. When they overhear their parents lamenting, comparing them with peers, or using repetition as a threat (“If you don’t pass, you’ll repeat and shame us”), the message becomes clear: failure is unacceptable, and help is not an option. This shame attaches itself to the child’s identity and can affect their long-term relationship with learning.
Normalising academic re-takes means shifting this mindset entirely. It means acknowledging that children learn at different paces, and that struggling with a concept is not the same as being incapable.
Development Is Not a Race
Child development, whether academic, emotional, or social is not a race. A child may excel in verbal communication but struggle with mathematics. Another may be a brilliant artist but unable to read at grade level. These differences are not failures, they are signals. And sometimes, the best response to those signals is to pause, reflect, and try again. When we rush children through learning stages they are not ready for, we risk long-term disengagement. According to research from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), children who fall behind in the early grades are at greater risk of dropping out of school altogether, especially when there is no structured support or time for remediation.
Repeating a class, when framed positively can give a struggling student the breathing room they need to catch up. It can also prevent the emotional damage of constant comparison, mockery, or internalised failure.
Educators, more than anyone else, see the signs when a child is not ready to progress. They notice when a student has not grasped basic literacy or numeracy skills, or when social-emotional development is lagging behind peers. Yet many teachers are hesitant to recommend repetition. Why? Because of the backlash from parents who take it as an insult. And other schools have a no-repetition policy. In some private schools, administrators are under pressure to keep parents happy for business reasons. In public schools, overcrowded classrooms and lack of personalised instruction mean the decision to promote is often made to reduce the burden rather than support learning. In both cases, the result is the same: a child is passed to the next class with gaps that will widen over time.
If we want teachers to do their jobs well, we must create an environment where academic honesty is not punished but welcomed an environment where a teacher can say, “This child needs to repeat” without risking confrontation or reputational damage.
Parents Must Lead the Culture Shift
The change starts with parents. They must begin to see class repetition not as a disgrace, but as a tool. Just as you wouldn’t let your child move on to swimming in the deep end without mastering the shallow part, it is reckless to force academic progression when readiness is not there.
This doesn’t mean repetition should be routine or taken lightly. It must be based on objective assessments, teacher recommendations, and personalised support plans. But when it becomes necessary, it should be seen as an investment in a child’s future, not a commentary on their present value.
Parents should ask better questions:
What skills is my child struggling with?
What support did they receive this year?
What will change if they repeat the class?
How can I support this process at home?
Changing the Narrative in Schools
Schools also need to do better. If repetition is part of your academic framework, then destigmatise it institutionally. Explain the reasons clearly to both parents and students. Develop support plans that make the repeat year different and more effective. Simply repeating the same content without intervention will not help, it must come with targeted instruction, smaller learning groups, or adjusted teaching styles.
Moreover, schools should monitor the psychological impact of repetition. Students who repeat should receive emotional support, encouragement, and affirmation. Help them set goals and recognise improvements, no matter how small.
When properly implemented, repetition can become a confidence-booster, not a punishment. Students begin to feel a sense of mastery. They take pride in doing better the second time. And that confidence, in turn, fuels future academic success.
It’s important to note that repetition is not a magic fix. If the reasons behind academic failure such as learning disabilities, emotional issues, or ineffective teaching are not addressed, then repetition alone won’t make a difference.
That’s why repetition must come with resources. Schools need trained special educators, counsellors, and remedial programmes. Parents need guidance on how to help at home. Without these, a student may repeat a class and still struggle, which can worsen the very stigma we are trying to eliminate. The goal is not to increase repetition rates but to ensure that when it happens, it leads to better outcomes.
The truth is, academic success is not about how fast you move, but how well you understand. By attaching shame to repetition, we are prioritising speed over substance, image over reality. We are sending children forward into classrooms for which they are not prepared, setting them up for failure, and then blaming them when they can’t keep up. Repeating a class should not be a whisper in the corridor or a family scandal. It should be a structured academic intervention, backed by data and care. And most importantly, it should be normalised.
