State of the Nation: Stakeholders Blame Parents, Calls For Proper Children’s Upbringing

Parents and teachers across Nigeria have been called upon to make the upbringing of their children a priority in order to secure a better future for them.

A Non-Governmental Organization, GuidedSouls Initiative stated this on Sunday during her annual Parents/Teachers Forum held at NULGE House, Ilesa Garage in Osogbo.

This online medium reports that GuidedSouls Initiative is a Non-Governmental Organization that comprises of GuidedSouls Montessori Schools and BaytulQur’aan Lita’leem Wa Tahfeedh.

In his welcome address, the Chief Executive Officer of the initiative, Mr. Busari Afees Ademola, said the forum was called to educate the parents and teachers on the need to properly nurture their children for the betterment of the society.

He lamented on the present challenging state of the nation on poor children upbringing by many parents and teachers in the country.

He said, “We started this initiative in 2018 with the sole aim of ensuring the children are productive and morally sound. We have been doing it over the years. But this year, we felt the need to have a talk with the parents and teachers on their children upbringing. Our society is not in good shape. The reflection of the family is what is being witnessed in the society and by extension the country. We felt the need to talk to the parents and teachers on the Islamic ways of upbringing the children in order to have a better society.”

While delivering his lecture at the forum which was tagged ‘Parenting Amidst Social Economic Chaos: The Role of Muslim Parents/Teachers, the Director of the Rawdotu-t-Tanzeel Tahfeez and Arabic School, Ustadh Mutiu Uthman called on Muslim parents to always guide their wards in the right direction so that they can grow up as useful members of the society.

According to him, it is the responsibility of Muslim parents to train their children and wards in the Islamic way as a matter of their right and necessity, adding that Sharia makes it mandatory for parents to look after the children.

He noted that the responsibility of every parent who desire to have children is higher when it comes to training of the children.

“It’s easier to bear children because they are gift from Allah and He bestows it on whomsoever He wishes. But the responsibility of taking care of them rests with individual parents. “Once Allah gives us a child, then we have the responsibility to take care of them in the way of God, and the way of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

He noted that Muslims should not allow the society to be used as standard for moral and spiritual training of the children to guide against perverted influences which may derail their goal in life.

He said the effect of improper training of the children has led to political thugery and cultism among others.

“To have a pious society and just society we all crave for, the work starts from the home and parents, not the government alone. Parents must not leave the training of the child to the system, they should take responsibility’, he submitted.

Corroborating, the Chief Imam, Gbesinniyin Central Mosque, Osogbo, Sheikh Qomorudeen Ballo while delivering his lecture urged the teachers to always discharge and fulfil the trust that are entrusted to them by the parents in upbringing the children.

While speaking with newsmen, one of the parents that was at the forum, Alh. Wasiu Bakare appreciated the initiative for organizing the program, saying that the forum has exposed him to many things that he can use to educate his children for the development of the society.