Child education starts from home. Parents are their first teachers and they have a key role in shaping up their children’s character. A well balanced education at home and school molds a child’s actual learning ability and the future of the child.
Good parenting is an accumulation of actions and interactions that you have with your child. It is driven with a purpose in mind to develop the child.While parenting aims to train children’s character traits to be independent, to possess self-direction, honesty, self-control, kindness, and cooperation.However, good parenting creates a foundation for a child’s healthy, positive development, etc.
Again,educated parents are more likely to provide a good education background for their children.
Education is the greatest leveler of every child in the community both rich and poor. Education provides a window of opportunity for all children except for the ones that are not opportuned to have access to it.
In Nigeria today, parents are very mindful of the month of September because schools are resuming, children are going to new classes. Others are transiting to secondary or tertiary institutions.
In September, most Markets are filled with customers, mostly parents trying to buy school materials for their children to resume school for the first term.
Recently, it was observed that some parents within the Jos metropolis prefer to take their children to schools that are not in their neighbourhood, instead of the schools within their community.
METRO FOCUS correspondent went round within Jos North Local Government Area to sample the opinions of parents as to why they prefer to send their children to certain schools, even though far from their home.
It was noted that within the locality of Jos North, there are other schools both private and public that have the quality, standard and their school fees are affordable, but parents have their preferred school for their children’s education.
Research has indicated that parents’ involvement in their children’s education is important not only when a child is in primary school but also when they are in secondary school and tertiary institutions , regardless of the child’s gender.
Among parents that METRO FOCUS interviewed were Mrs.Patience Yitwa, a resident of Jos North. She said that her daughter gained admission into Junior Secondary School (JSS ) one in Federal Government College (FGC), Jos, 2022/2023 academic session.
She added that her choice as parent to send her child to FGC was because the school has a good standard in terms of education and discipline. Another attraction is that their school fees is affordable.
A parent who refused his name to be in print said that his son was expelled from his former school last session for some obvious reasons. So, he decided to look for a school that is far away from his community.
He believes that with the new environment for his son, this would help him have a different perspective of life, he added.
Another parent, who is a resident of Hwolshe community of Jos South Local Government, Mr Caleb Mannaseh said that some parents choose to send their children to a private school, even if the school is far from their community only to reflect their class or status. However, there are those that are attracted to certain schools for their wards because the school has good standard of education that would help in molding the pupils and students’ character to help them achieve their dreams in life.
Manasseh said definitely, such a school will get patronage from parents who want the best for their wards, no matter the distance.
However, in most cases, Mr Manasseh said, no matter how much a parent likes a school for his or her ward, you have to cut your coat according to your clothes. It is wise to take your ward to the school you can afford.
He added that sometimes, the environment also plays a vital role. The first thing parents consider before enrolling their children in a school is how safe is the environment?
Mrs.Deborah Waja who resides in Jenta Apata of Jos North Local Government Area said that she prefers to send her children to school that are far from her community, if the school has good standard and foundation to impact knowledge to her children.
She stressed that most of the schools in her community don’t have the qualification to be called a school. “Most of the schools in my neighborhood started as Day Care, but today they have graduated to primary school without standard of education for pupils of higher grade.They employ unqualified teachers to teach the children” , she said.
There are many schools in Jos that can only be described as ‘mushroom schools. They start off like a joke, a daycare today, and by tomorrow, a 2 room apartment in an unsafe environment bearing the name ‘school’ ? One wonders how these people get certified.
A teacher and parent, Mrs.Juliet Pam said that she is not bothered whether the school is within her community or far. As far as the school has the educational standard to impact knowledge to her children.
She maintained that she would love to have her children close to her, where she works as a teacher and that would help her to monitor her kids as well.
To this end, what makes a great parent is when kids watch their parents interact with one another respectfully. They get their first lessons on how to get along with other people. When they observe how their parents work through problems, they learn to resolve conflict.
When they see their parents show affection to each other, they feel comfortable and secure.
Nonetheless, the strongest lessons children learn are from what goes on in their homefront.
Education still remains key to development and having a better society and the world at large.
Parents should note that changing schools for their children should not be done based on your social status or trying to compete with other parents.
Education is a lifter to all, both poor and rich children, to those that attend public or private schools.
