SPARE THE ROD, SPOIL THE CHILD
You will agree with me that the saying " spare the rod spoil the child" has a lot to do with how our children end up being useful to the family and society at large. In my own understanding and opinion, this adage does not necessarily mean beating up a child but discipline. Discipline in the way and manner we try to correct our wards when they do wrong things.
To start with, some three four decades ago, this adage was so enshrined in the society and embraced by all such that the result was a society where its youth were found worthy in character, learning and sound judgment. I remember in my days in primary school though not too long but over two decades now, the fear of Mrs Dada, my class mistress's strokes of cane was part of the reason if not total why many of us were committed in doing our assignment, going and coming home neat, waking up early for school,being good boy and girl at home and in school and above all looking up to our parents and teachers as role models.
This same adage was the reason why we used to see our headmaster and headmistress with their well tailored dresses and old school MAZDA saloon car and most memorable in my mind, the white beetle of my integerated science teacher well parked in d untarred school garage and we all look forward to be like them. Being like them was our dream because we believe in the lesson they gave to us, the beating of love, the message for the future so that our lives would be better and above all we knew they could account for how they achieved what they had if given the chance to ask them.
Though, we all know that the moral, cultural and societal decadence can't only be attributed to this adage but this adage is attributed to the home and the school as an institution to a greater extent. For example, we have seen a case where parents go to school to beat up their children teachers and we have also seen a situation where parents encourage their wards to get involve in fraud, examination malpractices,armed robbery and in recent time the popular yahoo yahoo boys syndrome in our society. On the part of teachers, we have seen teachers that enjoyed instructing their student to sell goods for them in the school and also to come to their home to wash clothes, clean the house like house boys or girl and in most cases encourage the student to get involve in various social vices.
The government too can't be left out. Over the years government of Nigeria have totally neglected Education by refusing to ensure that the stipulated 26% budgetary allocation be given to the Educational sector. As a result there have been total dilapidated infrastructures and there by reduction in quality of learning and the release of half baked graduates in both secondary and higher institution.
Recently I was in a parent/teacher forum at my niece school in Ikeja, to my utter dismay I was told that the state ministry of Education has instructed that children should not be beaten again because we are practising british Educational system. Imagine! This same British in recent time have been calling for total overhauling of its system because of increase in child related crimes such as killing,raping, stealing,lieing etc. I ask why do we love to do follow follow? Why can't we be ourselves? It is glaring that every country has its own peculiarity base on the economic situation of each countries.
Charity they say begins at home. As the home is the primary point of societal institution and the school is the secondary institution, these two important institution should realise the importance of discipline in the home and as such should embrace the practise involve in this adage"spare the rod, spoil the child". We all know that it is he that wears the shoe that knows where it hitches but the fact remains that everybody is every childrens parent. The difference is just in biological and guardance. The practise of beat my child for me but it doesn't please me at the end should be erased in our minds because we all have to come together to shape the lives of our children so that in future we will be able to experience peace and an enduring career for our children and collective National growth and development spear headed by thoughtful youth.
To start with, some three four decades ago, this adage was so enshrined in the society and embraced by all such that the result was a society where its youth were found worthy in character, learning and sound judgment. I remember in my days in primary school though not too long but over two decades now, the fear of Mrs Dada, my class mistress's strokes of cane was part of the reason if not total why many of us were committed in doing our assignment, going and coming home neat, waking up early for school,being good boy and girl at home and in school and above all looking up to our parents and teachers as role models.
This same adage was the reason why we used to see our headmaster and headmistress with their well tailored dresses and old school MAZDA saloon car and most memorable in my mind, the white beetle of my integerated science teacher well parked in d untarred school garage and we all look forward to be like them. Being like them was our dream because we believe in the lesson they gave to us, the beating of love, the message for the future so that our lives would be better and above all we knew they could account for how they achieved what they had if given the chance to ask them.
Though, we all know that the moral, cultural and societal decadence can't only be attributed to this adage but this adage is attributed to the home and the school as an institution to a greater extent. For example, we have seen a case where parents go to school to beat up their children teachers and we have also seen a situation where parents encourage their wards to get involve in fraud, examination malpractices,armed robbery and in recent time the popular yahoo yahoo boys syndrome in our society. On the part of teachers, we have seen teachers that enjoyed instructing their student to sell goods for them in the school and also to come to their home to wash clothes, clean the house like house boys or girl and in most cases encourage the student to get involve in various social vices.
The government too can't be left out. Over the years government of Nigeria have totally neglected Education by refusing to ensure that the stipulated 26% budgetary allocation be given to the Educational sector. As a result there have been total dilapidated infrastructures and there by reduction in quality of learning and the release of half baked graduates in both secondary and higher institution.
Recently I was in a parent/teacher forum at my niece school in Ikeja, to my utter dismay I was told that the state ministry of Education has instructed that children should not be beaten again because we are practising british Educational system. Imagine! This same British in recent time have been calling for total overhauling of its system because of increase in child related crimes such as killing,raping, stealing,lieing etc. I ask why do we love to do follow follow? Why can't we be ourselves? It is glaring that every country has its own peculiarity base on the economic situation of each countries.
Charity they say begins at home. As the home is the primary point of societal institution and the school is the secondary institution, these two important institution should realise the importance of discipline in the home and as such should embrace the practise involve in this adage"spare the rod, spoil the child". We all know that it is he that wears the shoe that knows where it hitches but the fact remains that everybody is every childrens parent. The difference is just in biological and guardance. The practise of beat my child for me but it doesn't please me at the end should be erased in our minds because we all have to come together to shape the lives of our children so that in future we will be able to experience peace and an enduring career for our children and collective National growth and development spear headed by thoughtful youth.
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