The Principal of the Jackson Educational Complex, Theodosia Jackson, has called on parents to be intentional about nurturing their children to become responsible adults by exposing them to good behaviours.
She said parents should instil good values in their kids through practical examples.
Mrs Jackson said parents should not expect their children to become responsible adults in future if they (parents) behaved otherwise in front of them.
She said it had become common practice for parents to tell lies in front of their children and yet expect them to be truthful at all times.
Sod cutting
Mrs Jackson, who is an educationist, made the call during the sod-cutting ceremony for the construction of a fence and the rehabilitation of a playground of the Patasi Experimental Kindergarten (KG) in the Nhyiaeso sub-metro of the Kumasi Metropolis.
The project is being undertaken by the Child and Family Life International, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), with an interest in early childhood education and formed part of activities marking this year’s celebration of the International Day of Children.
This year’s celebration was on the theme: “A better future for every child starts with a supportive learning environment”.
Mrs Jackson, thus, called on parents to serve as role models for their children by living by example and “to make great investments in our children to be great adults in the future”.
Impact
The Metropolitan Director of Education, David Oppong, said following the introduction of two years of compulsory KG education by the government in 2007, “enrolment levels increased and we are working on solving all the programme implementation challenges.”
He said that the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service (GES) had identified poor leadership and management, inefficient supervision, lack of accountability, and inadequate teacher training as contributing factors to poor learning outcomes experienced in schools in the country.
That, Mr Oppong said, was because many school leaders had not undergone professional training for their roles (beyond their years of experience teaching in the classroom), which he said had effects on children’s learning outcomes.
According to him, the ministry had set up the National Education Institute (NEI) as a permanent institution dedicated to educational leadership training to offer long-term, tailor-made leadership programmes with certification for current and aspiring school heads and staff of agencies under the ministry.
Learning environment
The Executive Director of Child and Family Life International, Clara Puni Nyamesem, said the learning environment for childhood development was not limited to school alone but included the home, the Sunday Schools, the mosque and the larger community.
She said a good outdoor environment helped children learn better and gain healthy brain development, “when they engage in active play such as running, chasing, gardening, sand play, catching and painting than pencil and paperwork.”
According to her, a child-friendly learning environment was the “third teacher” in childhood education.
She said it was in that vein that the Child and Family Life International decided to solicit funds to renovate and fence the playground of the kindergarten of the Patasi M/A Primary School to promote a good learning environment for children.
