Do parent still check their children in tertiary institutions?
Recently, Bayero University, Kano accounted over 10 pregnant undergraduate students. It is the most prevalent act of immorality to have been recorded in the history of the institution, and as reaction, the school intensify its efforts in curbing such by reinforcing the standing "operation dress well".
So sad, but what happened in Bayero is minor compared to the decadence recorded in other schools; cultism, student-prostitution, rape, etcetera. And the society, rather than blaming the right authority, questions the morality of schools. Let's be frank, is inculcating morality the primary objective of tertiary institutions? What are the parents doing? Do they (parents) finish their moral responsibility the moment their kids get admission?
Plus financing, it is the responsibility of parents to give moral advice to their wards, educate and enlighten them about the reality of life, make sure they don't go astray especially when they leave the umbrella of those who keep them in check. But, looking at vices committed by some students of tertiary institutions in Nigeria, I believe there is need to question if parents are actually performing their functions.
Some students, having left their home, become independent, and believe they can do anything, act anyhow, and engage in whatever they want. They are right to do so. What do they know? Everyone wants to enjoy their freedom, do what others do and maximize their prime.
But the school management can only try their best, they can only regulate the way students act but they cannot monitor how they think. Parents should therefore compliment the efforts of the institutions by constantly giving them fatherly instructions and motherly advice.
Dear parents, do check on your kids, advice them and save their future. No child is too big to be all good. Even the good ones can corrupt, so do not leave them to themselves. A simple phone call can rid a child of waywardness.
Oyelakin Saheed wrote from Bayero University, Kano