Stakeholders Harp on Good Parenting, Foundational Education at Pace Setter’s Graduation

With the widening gap between education and character among the youth, stakeholders at the recent graduation ceremony of Pace Setter Academy, Wuye, Abuja believe that good parenting and foundational education are key to grooming the young ones. Paul Obi r

Over the last three decades, the challenge of Nigeria ensuring that quality education transcends mere qualification to better citizens has remained a topical issue. Constantly, the gap between education and character among Nigerians has continued to widen beyond comprehension. To many, the quality of education ought to be seen in the character of those who have gone through rigorous learning process.

Stakeholders argued that education should go beyond the walls of classroom to other critical areas of human existence. They stressed that good moral upbringing, character and patriotism should be the basics of foundational education in Nigeria. At the recent graduation ceremony organised by Pace Setter Academy, Wuye, Abuja, speakers identified good parenting as the best strategy to educate young Nigerians in today’s modern world.

They observed that good parenting, provided as rudimentary education has the capability to be sustained with several benefits. It was observed that most of today’s challenges confronting young Nigerians cannot be adequately addressed solely by classroom teaching. A lot, they stressed falls under the responsibility of parents at home. They maintained that if good parenting at the home front is embraced, the young ones would seamlessly inculcate better form of education both in character and learning.

According to the guest speaker and Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most Rev. Mathew Kukah, a lot of foundational education can be attained through good parenting at home. “Teachers cannot be responsible for the formation of your children. They will do their best. These children are leaving here now and from what we see, increasingly, more and more parents are sacrificing the emotional welfare of their children for money.”

Kukah stressed that “men will say, we are working very hard to put food on the table, but it will be of no use because the young people who are going about killing other people suggest very clearly that they were not properly brought up. You can send your children to the most expensive school, but parenting has to be part of the formation of every child and the home is the first school for every child.”

However, the bishop said despite the charge on parents to make an impact on their children at the early stage through good parenting and sound foundational education, the government must also provide the enabling environment and platform for the young and children to thrive.

Kukah stated that society can be enhanced and improved upon only when the potential of the youths are tapped. He added that there is an urgent need for government to show commitment in that regards.

He called for dedication in the grooming of the young, stating that, “because as we heard from these little children, the quality of what they had to say suggest very clearly that we have brilliant young people, so there has to be a country for them to excel.”

A former Speaker of the House of Representatives and guest speaker at the event, Rt. Hon. Ghali Umar Na’Abba counselled the graduands to remain focussed on their aspirations, particularly in education, adding that learning remains the best human development strategy. He said by going through the process of educating themselves, the graduands are setting up a sustainable platform for their future. According to him, given that “education is a necessary component of human development,” all forms of education, including foundational education and good parenting should also be part of the whole package for educating the young ones.

Na’Abba further commended the management of Pace Setter Academy for the many giant strides the school has attained. He observed that with the school prioritising the idea of human capital development above profit making, the benefits to students and parents would be enormous.

The Chairman of Pace Setter Academy, Kenneth Imansuangbon on his part said the prospect of the graduands was geared towards conquering the world in their various endeavours, adding that the quality of education obtainable at the school is to enable students “conquer their world.

“The Nigeria that will emerge in their time is the Nigeria of brains. At that point, it won’t matter whose son or daughter you are, but what you can offer to Nigeria and the world. Let them be passionate about the country and themselves. We have trained them for the future. We have trained them to be hard working and be industrious,” Imansuangbon said.