MOHAMMED ABASS
When I speak to parents, I make a number of points in regards to education.
1. Start rewarding and encouraging learning early in life – and don’t stop
From the time children are little, parents need to look for ways to make learning a positive, fun thing to do. Parents need to show children that knowledge is empowering. Most parents do this naturally. They clap and cheer when their baby learns to take those first steps. What parents do not encourage a baby to repeat its first words over and over again? Consider the rapt attention given to a first-grader who hesitantly reads a picture book for the first time. But somewhere along the line most of us quit giving that sort of positive attention to our kid’s learning. And that is unfortunate.
In our home, as a kid in the early 90’s during my primary school life, my father (RohimanU llah) used to encourage me to read and write. Being an Islamic cleric he was, had a great influence on me to develop an affinity for reading and writing at the earlier stage of my life. Let me cite an instance: when I was in primary 5, my father took me to Ilorin city from our village and bought study books and learning items for me as required by the school on my promotion to primary 5. After he bought all that was on the list, his attention was called to a book called “Macmillan Dictionary for Primary School Student.” The book was so beautiful and the pictures on it were so fascinating enough to encourage reading, as the seller encouraged him and I quote that, “Baba this book is very good if you can buy it for this boy”. The price then was N100 and without any hesitation, my father brought the money from his pocket and bought the book. I could still remember and reflect always on his positive emotion of joy while he was removing the money from his pocket. The second day when I resumed in the school, all my teachers were so happy and invited me one after the other to show me how to check for the meaning of words in the dictionary according to the letters. My father had a usual practice that each time I come back from the school, I have to show him what we have done and read it to him. Today’s parents can imbibe this practice as well by setting up a routine for your kids by sitting at the table and ask them to share one fact they have learnt that day- any fact, on any subject, from any creditable source, as long as the information was previously unknown to any other family member.
This simple exercise accomplishes several things. It is not only encouraging learning as something needs to happen every day, but it also triggers some unusual and interesting table conversations. My father and I find it helpful and he was glad that I was progressing on my academic journey.
Parents should expose their kids to the various creative exercises, educational games, and family traditions that can serve the same purpose- just by letting the kids experience learning and pursuit of knowledge in a positive light. Hopefully, they will reach a point where they understand by themselves, and you no longer have to create artificial incentives for them to learn. It has happened to me today; I can learn anything (Bi-Iznillah) and my father is no more with me but he has sustained the momentum of “learning how to learn” in me. That is what the parents should help their kids to achieve.
2. Do whatever you must do to encourage reading
If you start reading to your children as soon as they are able to sit up in your lap, then by the time they are old enough to start reading themselves, they will already associate books and reading with fun and enjoyment. Read often and read for variety. Strike a balance between reading some books kids get to choose and others you select for content and literary merit. Make trips to the children’s section of your local library part of your family routine. And when children get old enough to read on their own, do whatever you can to make sure they do so. Even if the means restricting other activities.
My parents did not expose me to watching television and I was not also that interested. In most cases, when my father left for the farm, he gave me some responsibility to write some volumes of Arabic verses that also strengthened my writing skills and affinity. I do tell people, “Why do you want to spend your time watching television, anyway? If you would use that time to develop your mind and your God-given talents, it won’t be long until people are watching you on television.” Kids who read are kids who learn. Reading is the best foundation you can give them for ensuring a successful lifetime of learning.
3. Get involved in your children’s formal education- at home and at school
You can do this in a number of ways:
By actively monitoring homework, and helping when you need to; volunteering at your child’s school; supporting the PTA and other educational programmes. Letting your kids see that their education should not only be a priority for them but is one of your biggest priorities as well. Teachers and parents always have good concern for the kid’s education. I remember in my primary 5, when one of my teachers came to encourage my father that they should not allow me after I had graduated from school to go to Lagos for an apprenticeship. My father laughed and appreciated the teacher with two new ten-naira notes.
4. Point your children to successful individuals who have been empowered by education
Kids need heroes, role models whose examples they want to follow. These days most of those heroes come from sports and entertainment. You can help counter these often less-than-positive influences by calling children’s attention to people who have achieved success through education and the development of their minds. To add salt to injury, kids now take “yahoo-yahoo” personalities as role models. Honestly, this bothers me a lot and I do weep deeply for why we found ourselves in this kind of terrible state, where we have lost our values and parents no longer care as long as their wards can bring money home and do what they call “Fine boy.”
5. Be a good example yourself
Parents or guardians- whoever you might be- have a real responsibility not just to think and talk about education for your children. You need to set an example by continuing to educate yourself. Make learning a clear and observable priority in your own adult life. No matter what your profession or job is in this fast-changing world, you cannot hope to get ahead or even stay abreast without making significant and continuing attempts to learn and read about your field. It makes a convincing statement about the importance of learning when your kids see you improving your mind instead of just watching television night after night. Children learn better when they see you as a role model. When you practice what you say and walk your talk. It is a concept we call “pragmatism” in education; learning by doing.
I would like to leave the readers on a positive emotion hoping that we should imbibe these practices as stated in this article and I hope it would go a long way in shaping the future of this country. I do say, “The only opportunity for evil to thrive is when those who are righteous are silent and do nothing.”
May Allah forgive my parents and admit them in paradise with those you are pleased with amongst the prophets, the truthful ones, and the martyred.
I thank you all!
. Mohammed Abass is an educationist and social entrepreneur who writes from Abuja, Nigeria
Email: mohammed.o.abass@gmail.com