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 Chapter 1

THE ROOTS OF EDUCATIONAL DOWN-TURN

The threats facing the development of educational values in Nigeria are multifarious
in nature. Educationists over the years in Nigeria have pointed out that the current
national policy on education was birthed and nurtured at the time when the country’s
economy was buoyant. But its real implementation started at the time of tight
economic situation. This, according to them, was the major factor hindering the
realization of the objectives outlined in the policy document.
It is true that there was an increase in population giving rise to shortage of the
facilities needed at all levels of education in the country. The facilities became over-
stretched and more are required to have the desired effect. It is equally true that the
management and maintenance of these facilities are capital intensive, which the
government alone cannot bear now. There is the need therefore to mobilize the
various aspects of society to complement the efforts of government towards
realizing the goals of the national policy.
Many learned individuals have continued to question the sincerity of the government
in its determination to move the country’s educational system ahead, in view of the
continued decrease in government budgetary allocation to the educational sector
over the years. The quality of supervision by various tiers of government remains
unclear and much is needed to convince the public about the seriousness of
government in this regard.
A. BACKGROUND OF EDUCATION -
It is generally agreed that schools help families to pass on the culture to
children entrusted in their care. This point is best show-cased by Nigeria’s
attempt to use education as an instrument to inculcate national identity and
unity. The task of the Nigerian schools, particularly at the lower levels is to
produce a good and united citizenry; comprising people who think of
themselves as belonging to certain ethnic group or religion. This is achieved
through the passing on of cultural values, norms, ideas and patterns of
acceptable behaviors and conducts of society to the younger generation. This
aspect of transmission of culture is generally termed socialization. It is
through the socialization
 process that societies ensure the preservation of their culture, integrity,
identity and co-existence.
However, this background calls for caution because of the cultural conflicts
that exist in any society. The crucial question is “what elements of the culture
should schools pass-on to the next generation”, that will contribute to the
advancement of society. Principles and practices in the school, social and
moral norms are used as references in the classroom management, as well as
the materials and methods of instruction, are to be taken from the culture.
Hence, “if schools are to play effective roles as agency for the background
of education, then the school and the culture should go hand in hand”.

B. PROMOTING CHANGE
In preserving cultural heritage of societies, education also serves as an
innovation, which brings about desirable changes required. This is achieved
through the accessibility of knowledge and ideas to its citizens. The school
produces highly educated and skilled individuals whose level of
enlightenment enables them to initiate and pursue change through innovation
that entirely affect the old ways of doing things, contrary to a static society.
Critically, they should accept the social forces that play upon its ground, and
not be oblivious of them.
In fact, they should take part in the determination of a future social order.
The proper role of school is therefore to select, organize, direct
 and structure these forces in the light of present social needs, cir-
cumstances and future demands towards the advancement of the citizens
and society. Conclusively, in the process of necessary adjustment, the
school must help the society in imbibing new attitudes, values and
techniques demanded for the change we hope for.
It is clear that many of our traditional attitudes opposes development and
would require a stronger force of change. Such negative attitudes include our
“prejudice and tribalism”, tendencies that suggests how we receive and give
rewards in our normal public duties, the lack of sense of objectivity, that is,
inability to remove one’s own feelings or wellbeing from the problem at
hand, our low sense of responsibility, (that is the lack of dedication,
obligation, empathy for one’s community and disregard to one’s public
office) our tendency towards double standards of ethics, morality, nepotism
and corrupt tendencies which is an impediment to any growth.
It is the role of the school as an agency for cultural change to consciously
help to change these attitudes by inculcating the appropriate social values
into the children from the early age of life.
EFFECTS OF FAMILY BACKGROUND ON A CHILD’S EDUCATION
The family is a significant variable that affects the educational achievement of a
child. This means that the higher the socio-economic status of the child’s family, the
higher his chances of having a more standard education. The parents’ economic
position as well as their attitude to education may determine the child’s chances of
continuing the pursuit of a successful development.
On the other hand, the children from lower backgrounds are more likely to
encounter problems such as:
! Being enrolled in less-than-average educational systems.
! Being limited to poor learning environment.
! Battling with inadequacy of books and other educational materials.
! Scanty opportunities in having good role models.
! Inferiority complex among contemporaries.
! Limited access to qualitative information.
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5
 Chapter 2

CHALLENGES/LIMITATIONS TO EDUCATIONAL VALUES

Education is an important factor in economic growth and development, but the

nation’s educational system has so many challenges which obstruct the system from
performing its basic objectives.
The problems include:
! Inadequate funding and Poor management
! Deficiency in governance and infrastructure
! Ineffective teaching techniques and not-so-enough qualified teachers
! Parents financial constraints
! Ignorance on the part of parents especially the ones in the rural communities.

INADEQUATE FUNDING AND MANAGEMENT

The problem of poor infrastructures and lack of teaching and learning materials,
which a huge number of primary, secondary and tertiary school buildings and
facilities are dilapidated and unfriendly to pupils. The environment of teaching and
learning is not conducive. The first and perhaps the greatest challenge facing
education is inadequate funding by federal, states and local governments, to the
extent that funding has been in response to conditions imposed by international
financial institutions (IFIs). Statistics show that federal government expenditure on
education between 1997 and 2000 has been below 10% of overall expenditure.
Learned individuals with the right experiences are also required to manage the
affairs of such systems when available, therefore creating an environment conducive
for learning.
NOT-SO-ENOUGH QUALIFIED TEACHERS
Professionally, the required qualification for teaching out rules NCE and Degree
certificate in some post primary school systems, only with a wide level of training
can one be certified in this practice. Already, the national literacy rate is currently 57
percent. Some 49 percent of the teaching force is unqualified. However, neglecting
its relevance creates a terrible situation of the students almost tutoring their teachers,
due to substandard qualifications. Specially trained persons are expected to teach in
schools, while their skill serves as the enabler to an effective teaching and learning
process.
FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS
It has been documented that across the globe, there are inequalities in educational
access and achievement as well as high levels of absolute educational deprivation of
both children and adults. The most common challenges usually faced in the
underserved communities today, is often, most parents struggle to meet up
with the basic necessities of life and that goes a long way in affecting their
consideration of a proper education for their children, also given to the costs of
schooling includes the costs of books, stationery and basic equipment, uniforms,
admission fees, registration and examination fees, contribution towards building and
maintenance fund, construction fees, transportation, mid-day meals,
Parents/Teachers Association (PTA) fees, sports fees, library fees and extra tuition
fees. The opportunity cost for parents sending children to school is the children’s
time that could have been of economic importance to the family either in terms of
income generating activities (i.e. Hawking) or in supporting the functioning of the
household as the case maybe. Usually, limited economic benefits in terms of the fact
that those who have completed school have no jobs do dissuade them in the
necessity of quality education for their children, thereby disregarding it. Mostly,
they neglect this due to lack of sufficient funds.

IGNORANCE
Ignorantly, they do not even see education as a key index of development or a
human right that should be accorded to all human beings solely by reason of being
human. This and so many other of such has contributed so much in the negligence of
the educational prospect of their wards. Inclusively, this is mainly the rationale
behind the strenuous jobs that they expose their children to.
However, this cause - Poverty, Illiteracy, Gender inequalities, Ignorance,
Child labor, and consequently, Youth restiveness, Armed robbery,
Addiction, Prostitution – has been a drag to having a better society.
In highlighting the critical points:
1 Poverty can be defined as the inability to achieve a certain nominal
standard of living. A major challenge facing Africa generally and
the problem have a veritable solution. According to the United
Nations report, the poverty rate in Africa is approximately 70%,
where a family lives below one dollar ($1) per day. Consequently,
it has caused a lot of breakdown in our educational and health
standards.
Today, we witness high level of maternal mortality, child mortality, and high rate of
disease spread. The solution is centered on the total overhauling of the system
through investing in the upcoming generation through an effective and quality
education.
2 The level of Illiteracy presently in Africa we won’t say is thriving,
but at least is better than in the past when our parents did not
encourage education. According to the Nigeria Millennium
Development Goals 2005 report, Literacy level in the country has
steadily and gradually deteriorated, especially within the 15-24
years group. According to the United Nations report by 1999, the
overall literacy rate had declined to 64.1 % from 71.9 % in 1991.
In this age of civilization we must raise the standard for improved
education and create enlightenment programs to bring back the
standards, especially to the rural dwellers that do not have enough
information on the value of education. For instance in Canada, the
citizens’ literacy level is about 97%. Thus, this is the reason for
their advancement in technology, science, and social development.
When people are not educated, they are subject to so many
regrettable circumstances for being illiterates.

3 Gender inequalities - Statistics indicate glaring imbalances against

girls in enrolment, attendance and completion rates in all levels of
education in Nigeria, particularly in the northern parts of the
country, due to a variety of socio-cultural and religious factors. It
means that the rights of millions of children, especially girls, are
violated. It is estimated that 7.3 million school age children are out
of primary school majority of them are girls. In the light of the
new age, this should not be the situation as every gender has equal
right to education as the other. Similarly, the Millennium
Developments Goals (MDGs) adopted in September 2000 at the
United Nations Millennium Declaration two of the eight goals
devoted to education. They are goal 2 (to achieve universal
primary education) and goal 3 (to promote gender equality and
empower women).

4 Ignorance is majorly the primary cause of the lack of knowledge

and passion to acquire information. Most people suffer ignorance
because they lack access to relevant information that will help
improve their status. Where the priority for education is misplaced,
people lack the zeal to seek knowledge; rather they spend their
resources and time on consumables that do not add value to life.
Unfortunately, the level of unproductiveness squares up in the highest level of ignorance.
This can be overhauled with the basic tools of knowledge. In relevance to this, The Action
Aid International Nigeria (AAIN) vision for education is a Nigeria in which every girl, boy,
woman and man is able to achieve access to free quality relevant basic education. Their
mission is to work with the poor and excluded-in-Nigeria to claim their rights to quality basic
education.

On the consequences:

Youth restiveness, for instance is that of the menacing actions of the youths in the Niger
Delta. These can be likened to the dysfunction in their upbringing and sometimes peer-
pressure. Regrettably, lack of quality education has done more harm than good to its subjects,
where you have Armed robbers, Addicts, Prostitutes, etc.
This has affected the level of development within the regions which has led to so many vices
and violence. If preventive measures are not taken, which is where information is required to
protect the interest of the younger generation, years ahead might be more severe than we are
witnessing today.

CHALLENGES IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

After series of research, it was observed and reported that about a third of the
students in public schools (in rural and urban areas) do not have keen interest in
schooling and this has degenerated into a careless attitude and approach towards
educational pursuit. The report also shows that majority of our students are prone to
the ‘get rich quick’’ syndrome. They have lost the value for education. Even in the
junior secondary, mostly students take to cyber crimes and other influences of no
values than maximum concentration on their studies.
They abandon classes to seek easier means of making money. In most cases, is not
that they lack funds for their education but attraction for the fast having of cash. In
effect of this area of focus, most of them end up as dropouts resulting to drug addicts
and traffickers, armed robbers and sex hawkers, just to meet that quest for quick
cash. “According to our report, a young boy of about 16 years dropped out of school
to engage in drugs just to belong, finally he was apprehended by the law
enforcement agency and was sentenced to 6 years in prison”.
Most ladies indulge in sex hawking for monetary gains, but rarely few for their
supposed fun for the act. Amazingly, some are from well-to-do homes, but their
insatiable need to meet a lot of demands lands them in the act. Report also has it that
“A 17 year old girl in her finals in Secondary School engaged in prostitution
because it was a norm among her peers, she finally ended up in the hands of ritual
killers, where some parts of her body were cut off, how pathetic”.
Furthermore, another inclusive cause is the seasonal influx of students in Secondary
schools which has degenerated into insufficiency in classrooms, and this is a
contributive factor to poor attention on the side of the school management to the
students, therefore there is need for new structures to accommodate the high
population of students and improvement on the old ones. In such cases, learning
cannot be effective since facilities are insufficient and substandard.

NEED FOR IMPROVEMENTS AND ESTABLISHMENT OF PUBLIC

SCHOOLS

There is a need for improvement on existing schools and the establishment of more
schools in order to accommodate the increasing number of pupils and students in
primary, post-primary and tertiary institutions. This recommendation is vital as
standard educational facilities have a way of encouraging the students to find
learning more interesting and neglect frivolities. Having created the environment
conducive for learning certainly awakes more curiosity for learning in the students,
and teachers will be more dedicated in their responsibilities to them.

Also in the necessity of good morals, there is need for the system to restructure the
operations in public schools ranging from inculcating proper values like punctuality,
cleanliness and many more among the students and teachers.
Education is the bedrock for a sustainable development in any society, and mostly
the adequate investment by which we can accelerate development.

‘‘If Nigerians are given the right attitude that quality education offers, then
government’s effort in the rebranding process will have been supplemented’’.

Importantly, every administration should learn from the mistakes of its predecessors
that investing in education is a priority that has its intrinsic benefits for future
sustainability – the individuals with scruples that will sell the nation excellently. On
the long run it will serve strongly as a leverage that the nation needs to attract values
in the global community. Without limitation, the national goal of achieving vision
2020 can only be attained when collectively we make conscious efforts to adopt
quality educational strategies at all levels.

“The great aim of education is not knowledge but action”... Herbert Spencer.
Meanwhile, it has been documented that across the globe, there are inequalities in
educational access and achievement as well as high levels of absolute educational
deprivation of both children and adults. In order to confront this challenge, the right
based approach, which emphasizes the participation of everybody, has been
advocated. For the time being, the Declaration of the World Conference on
Education for All (WCEFA) which was made in Jomtien, Thailand in 1990 stated
clearly in Article 1 that every person – child, Youth and Adult – shall be able to
benefit from educational opportunities designed to meet their basic needs. This
declaration was reaffirmed at the World Summit for Children also held in 1990,
which stated that all children should have access to basic education by the year 2000.
The World Summit for Children placed a lot of emphasis on raising the levels of
female literacy. In a bid to achieve education goals, the Dakar World Education
Forum was held as a follow-up meeting to the WCEFA where new sets of goals
were set to be attained by the year 2015. The goals include:

(i) Expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care

and education, especially for the most vulnerable and
disadvantaged children;

(ii) Ensuring that by 2015 all children, with special

emphasis on girls, children in difficult circumstances and from
ethnic minorities have access to and complete free and compulsory
primary education of good quality;

(ii) Ensuring that the learning needs of all young people and adults
are met through equitable access to appropriate learning and life
skills programs;

(iii) Achieving a 50 percent improvement in levels of adult literacy

by 2015, especially for women and equitable access to basic and
continuing education for all adults;

(iv) Eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary

education by 2005, and achieving gender equality in education
by 2015, with a focus on ensuring girl’s full and equal access to
and achievement in basic education of good quality;

(v) Improving all aspects of the quality of education, and ensuring

excellence for all, so that recognized and reasonable learning
outcomes are achieved, especially in literacy, numeracy and
essential life skills.

Similarly, the Millennium Developments Goals (MDGs) adopted in September 2000

at the United Nations Millennium Declaration has two of the eight goals devoted to
education. They are goal 2 (to achieve universal primary education) and goal 3 (to
promote gender equality and empower women).
 RESPONSIBILITIES AND DEMANDS

We have all it takes to bring us to a place of abundance as a nation but why has the
reverse been the case? The present administration is contributing immensely to
educational development. Therefore we should make plans to secure the best interest
of our younger generation - as the trustees of posterity.
As a nation and people, we should see beyond the present in order to plan, prepare
and work for future benefits.
Here is a theory that illustrates the “PEST” concept which expresses the standards
of society development:
P – POLITICAL
E – ECONOMICAL
S – SOCIAL
T – TECHNOLOGICAL

This change we all crave for demands everybody’s participation and commitment in
achieving our national goal. The government cannot do it alone; our contribution is
needed to complement their effort in the transformation project. The PEST Concept
establishes a framework for different aspects of societal development.
According to a research report in Far East Asia, some countries designed a long term
program for their children that in twenty-five (25) years their children would
become millionaires. Surprise on how this can be achieved? Their strategy states
that, every family makes a budget to invest $200 per week for each child for the
period of twenty-five years and when you compound it, that gives you over a million
dollars ($1,000,000) for every child at age 25 years. Similarly Yes, we can apply
this formula in Nigeria, invest N200 every week in our child’s fixed account,
thereafter we have saved over a million naira N1,000,000, which means our children
has over a million naira to plan more at the age of twenty five. It will be a wonderful
plan to secure each child’s future. We should not wait till the government sees the
need to implement it for us; rather we should make positive moves to influence our
children’s future with the right decisions.
In accordance, the hue and cry for a change in our country starts with actions such as
this kind to make it work, not lip service. Differently, you can see that these people
have a plan for the next generation. So what is in the plan for our next generation, if
any? It’s a call for sober reflection to awaken the sleeping giants in us. This question
is left for everybody to answer. Again, In Canada today, the level of literacy has
risen to the apex where they have about a ninety-seven percent level. The level of
development seen in Canada is a result of their investment in Education. If we must
rise to that level of development as a nation then we must apply the same formula
proven to have worked in other developed nations.
SOLUTIONS
The government should introduce and implement policies that would encourage
children in having the zeal for education. Incentives such as scholarships, awards,
bursary allowances etc. should be encouraged, implemented and sustained.
Also, for the economy to grow, the nation must invest in social institutions and build
permanent structures in order to combat the educational problems as they arise.

EDUCATIONAL VALUES

Firstly, the term educational value is derived from education which is prone to many
interpretations.
There is hardly agreement as to the aims of education and how it is to be achieved.
However, values are beliefs, principles and standards to which we attach a lot of
importance. It is a process, the application of gathered knowledge to problems. It is
necessary to remind us that the term, value, can mean a process, a product and a mix
of process and product.
As a process, it involves the systematic application of knowledge to the solution of
problems. It is the way of doing, organizing or implementing programs. As a
product, it can be referred to as gadgets, tools, equipment and instruments that result
from the application of knowledge to practical problems.
The prime point of education in the development efforts of the nations has never
been doubted the world over. Nations, including Nigeria, have for long been making
an effort to develop this sector for optimal development. Although much has been
achieved in this regard, but a lot more needs to be done so that the ever-increasing
challenges of our time and posterity can be most effectively confronted.
The essence of this manual is to acquaint us with the trend of indigenous educational
system in Nigeria and how it can be used as a vehicle for development. It also
reflects the relevance of traditional education in solving our numerous societal
problems.
 PROCESS OF TRADITIONAL EDUCATION AND WESTERN
EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
The traditional system of education differs significantly from the western type of
education in the process of transmitting knowledge, attitude and skills. These
differences are largely accounted for by the purpose of each service. The latent aims
of the traditional system of education, as observed by Fafunwa (1974), which
provided the basis and process of training in the traditional education system are:
a. To develop the child’s dormant physical skills
b. To build character
c. To inculcate respect for elders and those in position of authority
d. To develop intellectual skills
e. To acquire vocational training and to develop a healthy attitude towards
honest labor.
f. To develop a sense of belonging and to participate actively in family and
community affairs geared toward nation building.
g. To understand, nurture, appreciate and promote the cultural heritage of the
society at large.
Decisively, to attain the goals mentioned above is to deploy a combination of theory
and practice. Children learn the history of great men and women from folktales and
stories narrated by the elderly members of the society or family, which influences
the good virtues such as valor, honesty, wisdom, respect for elders and positive
attitude are directly or indirectly imparted from these stories.
The vocational training starts right from the early stage of the children’s lives when
they begin to follow their parents to the farm, river, forest, blacksmithing, weapon
shop to learn the occupations of their forbears in the old. Basically, there are four (4)
processes through which cultural heritages are transmitted from one generation to
another in a typical traditional set-up. They are:
i. Indoctrination: Good virtues and values are handed down to the children
through different means possible. They are creeds that cannot be
compromised or questioned.
ii. Imitation: Children learn the skills and the norms by imitating what they see
their elders do.
iii. Training: Children receive informal training to acquire skills, attitudes and
values that will make them fit to live in the society and it is equally done
through the apprenticeship system.
iv. Initiation: After receiving training, children are introduced to certain modes
of behavior that are considered acceptable by the group they belong to. This
is usually marked by fanfare and ceremony at an appointed time in the
community. Cultural rights and practices are usually observed during this.
 IDEOLOGIES AND INVENTIONS
This is the center of the human ideology. In stating down the different natural ways
man exact his knowledge, it will help you understand the relevance of nature and
information.
Joseph Omoregbe (1999) identified the basic issue in natural knowledge as follows:
the problem of substance, the problem of essence and existence, the problem of
universe, the problem of unity and diversity, the problem of change and
permanence, the problem of causality, the problem of body, mind interaction and
problem of freedom and determinism.
In this study, we have attempted to show that man is a natural creation. From time
immemorial, man has been pondering about his creation, creation of the universe,
purpose of his life, what meaning he could make of his world, what happens to him
after his death? Etc. These embody man’s notion of his life on earth.
Man, through nature, searches for reason in the realm of knowledge and education;
man earns for himself a unique position on earth as the most favored of all creatures
that live more by certainty than by chance like lower animals. The natural beliefs of
man are translated into education policy, curriculum content and teaching
methodology with the view of capturing the essence or the purpose of his life,
universe and his role here on earth. Whereas these knowledge raises unsettled issues
in his quest for reality and nature, man through his ingenuity, has used education to
pursue his natural beliefs.
Secondly, the foundation plays a significant role in the life of every person. The
level of foundation determines the latter outcome of the product or life of a person.
In building construction, it is understood that when the foundation of a building is
not stable or strong enough, there is a 100% possibility or tendency that it will
collapse over time. This is applicable to the life of any person, who does not have
the right educational background and proper upbringing. Such a person will
definitely turn out to be a liability to his/her immediate environment. In view to this,
early childhood education is referred to as the education given to a child prior to
their enrolment into the primary school. Even, no individual with the right attitude is
expected to have been produced as a child that is either denied a proper childhood
education or given a wrong upbringing.
“
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 CHAPTER 3

THE FAMILY AND THE RIGHTS OF A CHILD

Let’s take a closer look at the roots of a child’s education - the family. The root
and foundation where the child is born into and grows is automatically his/her
family.
It is one thing to provide for all the rights of every child in a document and it is
a completely different thing to provide facilities under which these rights can be
sustained in practice. Under the customary law, the machinery for the protection
of the rights of children is generally underdeveloped but traditions demand that
most duties be given to the individual family because they are the origin of every
person/child.
Under the general concept of law, duties are specified for the family as it relates
to the child just as stated earlier. Such a family will be liable if there is a failure
to fulfill such duties. Again, under this machinery, the government plays a role
of educating the citizens on the right of a child to educational facilities and
enforcing those rights by prosecuting offenders against such rights.
THE FAMILY
The family plays an essential part in the life of its members. It plays the primary
function of socialization from birth. It exists to give life to a new being, nourish,
give the essentials of life, and protect the child from emotional and physical dangers,
etc. These and so many others as such ensures the child’s upbringing is balanced.
Particularly, anything that affects the break of the family or the home has a
disastrous effect on the child and his/her personal development. The family is the
immediate world of every child. Under the law even is the duty of the family to
provide the child with the basic necessities of life eg food, clothes, shelter and
education. This is based on the trend of family life except otherwise where the child
is born out of wedlock.
The emotional development is an important aspect of a child’s upbringing and the
emotion must be kept under control. The operation of emotion offers testimony to
the unity of the body and mind in the child. Emotion has bodily expression in love,
cry, anger, fear, hate, jealousy, revenge, pain, etc.
It is agreed that the most serious psychological and personality difficulties have their
roots in early childhood and are caused by wrong handling or deliberate neglect of
the machinery for the proper growth of the child by the parents or guardian.
Before now, it was customary for parents who are bankrupt to order any of their
children to stay and work for their creditor for an agreed period of time. With this
erroneous act, the child is not considered as a subject of the law entitled to his/her
rights rather they are seen as an object of the law.
Most families in Nigeria, on a sad note, has been a tool that impedes the progress of
a child. Like the girls are often given out to early marriages without their consent
and pathetically, the end of such incident is usually ugly and disheartening. Again,
children are being brought up by unfit parents. The different encounters in these
cause makes the child develop a painful conflict in his/her mind. Unfortunately, it
degenerates to a very serious personality problem which soon develops into anti-
social behavior - a prelude to delinquency.
The law envisages that a family has to ensure proper training and discipline of a
child. The mode of correction does not extend to harming or wounding - it must be
moderate chastisement like a proverbial quote teaches “Train up a Child in the he
should go, and he grows, he will not depart from it”.
However, in most cases, from practical experience, one finds the machinery for
protection of children in homes completely in disarray. The children are abandoned,
treated as unwanted and consequently they turn into delinquents. While in civilized
countries, stories abound of children inviting the police to protect them from family
abuse, this is completely absent in the Nigerian or African context.
In a book, “Train up a Child” Bredan C. Okwor illustrates that when a woman is
pregnant, it means that there’s a human being inside the womb. This unborn child
begins its existence at the very moment a man’s sperm unites with an egg of a
woman during sexual intercourse, thereafter a child is born. Therefore, that very first
act of the man and the woman has given the child the right to live. Both parents are
bound to provide for the child with the necessary ingredients that will help build the
child for a better life.
For every child to succeed in life, parents have the following important roles to play.
They are their responsibilities. And these duties must be intensively carried out in
order of importance.
 CARE FOR CHILDREN
In taking care of a child, it starts on the day of conception. Your wish is your
child’s chance to live or die. If the pregnancy is welcomed, there is every
tendency that the child is given a right start, orientation training and care after
birth.

Tips for Parenting

Whether the type that spends quality time or the other always on the pursuit, here
are some tips we may find helpful for the development of our children.
! Use Genuine Encounter Moments (GEMs)
The self-esteem of children is greatly influenced by the quality
of time spent with them. Busy lives cause many parents to think
about the next thing they have to do instead of focusing their
attention on their children’s positive improvement. If children
don’t receive GEMS throughout the day, they may misbehave:
Brief attention is better than no attention.
! Actions speak louder than words
Statistics reveal children receive over 2,000 compliance
requests a day. As a result, many become apparently deaf.
Instead of nagging or yelling, they tend to search for an action.
! Give children appropriate ways to feel power
If parents don’t, children will find inappropriate ways
to experience their power. Ways to help them feel powerful are
to ask their advice, give them choices, let them help balance
things like your cheque book, help with household tasks–even
if you can do these tasks yourself with less hassle.
! Use natural consequences
When parents consistently interfere in situations, they rob
children of learning opportunities.
Allow consequences to do the talking, rather
than constant nagging or reminders.
! Use logical consequences

Often, the natural

consequences may be too
severe or far in the future
to be of practical use.
When this is the case,
logical consequences are
effective.
 It is important for consequences to be logically related to the behavior in order
for them to work. Lets take for instance in a case of video cassette hiring, If
children forget to return the overdue video, and they are grounded for a week,
that punishment only creates resentment.
Instead, return it for them and deduct the fee from their allowance, or allow
them to work-off the money owed. In this manner they can see the logic of
the discipline.

! Separate the deed from the doer

!
Never tell a child he/she is bad. Instead, help the child recognize what it was
about his/her behavior that was inappropriate or not tolerable. Behaviors may be
wrong, but the child still needs to feel loved, no matter what he/she might have done.
! Be consistent, follow through
Children need to have a consistent message sent to them. It is equally
important to follow through. If a child
knows he/she is not to have candy after 8:00 p.m., no matter how much pouting,
tears, pleas, or demands - no candy
after 8:00 p.m.

! Parent with the end in mind

Most parents look for the most expedient solution. This often results in
children who feel overpowered. It is important to keep in mind the way
parents want their children to be as adults and be more thoughtful in the way
they parent.
Be kind and firm at the same time.

Parents often get frustrated when their children do not comply or behave.
Frustration can easily lead to anger. As parents, it is very important to remain as
calm as possible and patiently teach and follow them through the learning
process.

LAY A GOOD FOUNDATION FOR YOUR CHILDREN’S EDUCATION

Be examples yourself as parents. Whether you are parents or guardians, you have a
real responsibility, not just to think and talk about education for your children, but
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 in this fast changing world is, 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 good conviction about the importance of learning when your kids
see you improving your mind instead of just watching television night after night.

Some parents feel they cannot be a good example in this regard. Perhaps they do not
have good learning skills themselves. Maybe they did not have the opportunities to
succeed through education when they were younger. Perhaps, they failed to avail
themselves of the opportunities they did have. Horatis Alger is a good example of
this. When he started out, he did not have much in the way of formal education.
Through good common sense, a commitment to hard work, the support of a loving
wife and everything, he managed to learn by himself on the job, he built an
international fast food empire. He placed such a high priority on learning that after
he became enormously successful, he took his time and resources to go back and get
more formal education.
Today, Alger is a bright and knowledgeable man who can converse intelligently on
a varied number of subjects, because his appetite for learning has always been every
bit as big as his appetite for those spicy chicken sandwiches his restaurant sells. We
must all learn from Alger and imbibe the attitude of learning, because when one
stops learning one starts dying.

Have you taught your kids that not every mistake allows a second chance? Have you
shown them that two young people who have sex before marriage may have a lot of
other troubles too-like the responsibility of having a child or aborting it which is
risky?
Does your son know that if he drinks and drives he could run head-on into another
car, thereby endangering his live and that of others. Stories like this may seem
extreme but they happen every year, in every neighborhood. Help your kids avoid
such situations by helping them understand the risks their actions may carry with
them. Your children must know they can build their lives on a better foundation.

One of the greatest joys you can give your child is the love of reading. One of
America’s outstanding communicators, Charley Tremendous Jones, shared the
method he used to help his son learn to love reading. He actually encouraged his son
to read books by paying him ten dollars for every book he read. His son could put it
toward his college education, a new automobile or whatever he wished. After his son
completed each book, Charley would ask for a simple book report, telling the
essence of the book, what his son has learnt and how he planned to put it into
practice.
Charley said his son never earned money to buy a car but he learned to love reading.
Fortunate teenager who has parents who encouraged them to read testifies today that
they love to read, and it is mostly because of the encouragement their parents gave
them in their early years. One said that through the books he has read, he has seen
people who did things right and things wrong. “I have learnt what to do and what not
to do. I have also learnt that through books I can gain knowledge in any field I
choose when the time comes.”
Further, a critical consideration is how we treat people around our children
especially the nanny or housemaid that takes care of them. They could be very harsh
and wicked to our kids when we treat them bad. Their vexation on how badly we
treat them will be replicated on our children while we are away from home and this
could endanger the lives and future of our children. A typical example of this is a
true life story that happened in Lagos Nigeria where a housemaid murdered the child
of her boss because she was depressed about the way her boss was treating her, she
was neither feeding nor paying her wages but still reprimands her at the slightest
drop of a hat.

! BE INVOLVED IN YOUR CHILDREN’S FORMAL EDUCATION AT

HOME AND AT SCHOOL
This can be done in a number of ways: by actively helping when you need
to, volunteering at your child’s school activities, supporting the PTA and
other educational programs, letting your kids see that their education
should not only be a priority for them, but that it’s one of your biggest
priorities as well. Kids desperately need to feel a part of something,
someone or some group to identify with in times of need and challenge.
Families need the same attitude - count on the children. They want to be
depended on and to have something to live up to.
Permit me to ask, when was the last time you found your son or daughter
doing something positive? I mean caught him or her made a big deal of it,
telling everyone whom you talked to, writing friends and relatives? What
would happen in our schools if, every time a student was found doing
something good, he or she got some encouragement? Teens would look for
special ways to be noticed and appreciated, and that’s all they really want
anyway. Help your child build his or her life on the right foundations, and
keep encouraging and monitoring them rightly.

! ENCOURAGE READING AS A CULTURE

Start reading to your children from an early age,and as soon as they are old
enough to start reading themselves they will 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 it means restricting other activities.
 On the contrary, in the Nigerian context where there is poor reading culture especially in rural communities, parents do not
encourage their children to read at home. I remember while I was growing up as a young child, my mum would restrict me from
some domestic chores so I may devote my time to study and read, today those actions have instilled in me a habitual appetite for
reading which I enjoy. Only when the benefits to spend your time in productive activities on developing your mind and God-given
talents is recognized, then you can do that with a pent deal of dedication. Note that kids who read are kids who learn. Reading is the
best habit you can encourage in them so as to ensure a successful lifetime of effectiveness.

! REWARD AND ENCOURAGE LEARNING EARLY

From the time children are young, parents need to look for ways to make learning a positive, fun thing to do. Parents/teachers 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, but parents do not encourage a baby to repeat its first words over and over again. Consider the rapt attention given
to first grader who hesitantly reads picture book for the first time. But somewhere along the line most of us quit giving that sort of
positive attention to our kids’ learning and that’s unfortunate.
In your home necessarily, you need to have a daily ritual where your children should summarize and brief you on what they learned
and were taught in school. This simple exercise or routine accomplishes several goals. It doesn’t only encourage learning as
something that needs to happen every day, but it also triggers some unusual and interesting conservation that are an eye-opener to
life. Additionally, number of creative exercises, educational games and family traditions can serve the same purpose just by letting
kids experience learning and the pursuit of knowledge in a positive dimension.

! CHALLENGE YOUR KIDS

Expose your children to successful individuals who have been empowered by education. Children need heroes, role models whose
examples they want to follow. These days, most of those heroes come from sports and entertainment, which is usually their area of
fun.

You can help counter some of the inadequacies by calling children’s attention to people who have achieved success through
education and the development of their minds is so many ways.
A child is entitled to all aspects of learning: intellectual, moral and spiritual. Knowledge is power. Depriving a child of the right to
education is sheer wicked. Ignorance of the fact that man has a wounded nature inclined to evil gives rise to serious errors in the
areas of education, politics, social actions and morals. Finding himself in the midst of the battlefield, man has to struggle to do what
is right, and at great cost to him. It is by grace that he succeeds in achieving his own integrity.
This necessitates as part of your parental responsibility to put that moral sense in the child. It is also part of the child’s right to
acquire such knowledge to enable him/her to fulfill their purpose in life.

! KNOW YOUR CHILD’S FRIENDS

Make friends with your child’s friends. Make your home a happy and interesting place to visit, a place they can come to often. Your
kids don’t want someone else to play video games with. They don’t want or need you to dress like them but they need and want you
to laugh with them. Be creative, spontaneous and try new things with them.
Note that:
a. If your home is a place where your child’s peers visit often, you will
Know who your child’s friends are.
b. Be in a position to influence them all.
Millions of parents wish they could do that, but they do not have homes the kids enjoy staying at. The quality, shape, size, or
location of your home does not matter. What matters include love, laughter, caring, and ability to listen that show through. Don’t
forget the children funfair activities. Also get some creative books on ideas for parties, fun and excitement. Turn your house into a
friendly place.

! HELP YOUR KIDS DISCOVER THEIR SPECIAL TALENT

Your kids need to know that they can be good at something. In school, students constantly compare themselves with others, but
usually in a way that will only hurt them or tear them down. A boy looks at another and says to himself, “He’s a terrific athlete. I’m
so clumsy. I can even do that well, even if I try.” Or a girl thinks, Patty’s the most beautiful girl in the class. All the boys like her,
but I can’t even get a date.” When teens or kids try to measure up in terms of unchangeable things like contrasting themselves to
someone else’s looks, talents, or family, they will always fall short. If your kids must compare, teach them to do so against skills
they can also learn well and excel in. If your son is not athletic, don’t encourage him to compare himself to a football star. Maybe
he’s a better student than that boy or has artistic talent he should develop. Help him to make the most of his best points. This is
called positive comparison
In order to hold their heads high and feel proud of themselves when they walk through the school halls, young people need to be
known for something. Not all students can be the prettiest, most popular, best on the football field, or the most brilliant in class. All
we need to do is to help every boy or girl find out his or her special talent and encourage the development of the talent so that he or
she may turn out in a positive way.
 On your part now, never talk your kids down with words like “You are not doing well, you are not performing well. Rather
encourage and inspire them to become better. Tell them things like, “You are my hero, my angel, I’m proud of you my boy, you are
a great child, I love you boy, you can do better my girl, I believe in you . Tell them who they are and make them believe they can
make history and create things because it will boost their confidence. When you sow the seed of encouragement into the lives of
your kids, it brings out the best in them which improves their self-esteem.
DON’T RAISE QUITTERS:
If your child discovers a talent, don’t let them start displaying it and immediately give it up. It takes time to become good at
anything.
This is a valuable experience we should give our kids. Many times throughout the rest of the teen’s years in college and the
working world, some children would have many opportunities that they quit for one reason or the other. But when he looked back
at this, he would see another resource, one that gave him more ability and reason to believe he could follow through on any
project.

All this resulted from the actions of a Mum and Dad who cared enough to work fulltime at parenting and using practical techniques
to teach their children a valuable life lesson.
Teach your children the same lesson by helping them stick through the tough parts of any learning situation. Naturally, if your
daughter wants to learn to sing and then finds out she’s tone deaf, you would discontinue the lessons. If your son starts doing
woodworking and discovers that he’s so hopelessly clumsy that is of no use, because after a while you might let him stop. But in
most cases your kids will feel attracted to areas in which they learn to achieve, and it’s worthwhile to continue such. Don’t let your
young people quit too soon. They need to be taught to experience some hurdles which accompany success.

! QUALITY AND QUANTITY TIMES ARE NEEDED

One woman shared with me how she bought a beautiful dining set. When she found it at a garage sale, the chairs and table were
covered with paint and food stains from years on end, and it had a very marred finish. After paying a few nairas for it, she took the
set home, cleaned it up, and ended up with some very expensive-looking furniture.
Later she found that a friend had bought an identical set at an expensive antique auction and paid about twenty times as much for
the very same thing. Five hundred naira at a garage sale, plus some time and quite a lot of fun or ten thousand naira at an expensive
auction equaled the same thing.
The expensive but quick method the second woman used in buying furniture, might seem more painless, but don’t try it when it
comes to raising children. With money you cannot buy love and affection or give the priceless gift of memories. You simply have to
spend time with people to have that kind of relationship. A little money spent on activities that take several hours always get better
results than spending thousands on your son or daughter, in the hope that money will take the place of time and fun. To make your
children happy, you do not have to spend extravagantly or give them the biggest and the best; otherwise you might spoil them
earlier before growing up.

We spend time in those areas of our life that are most important to us personally. That is an important concept, and our kids pick up
on it. They might as well have put it in a formula like this:
TIME SPENT + INTEREST + COMMITMENT = LOVE
This is a very sensitive one; perhaps, the children over time just sense that parents and teachers who love them spend time with
them.

The statement “quality time is much better than quantity time” is for the birds. Your child, just like your spouse, needs a lot of time.
When you shortchange your child, you shortchange yourself and the entire society.
Take for example; when it comes to the area of food, we all definitely like quality. But if you could only have one bite of your
favorite meal, without quantity, would its quality still please you? I doubt it. You wouldn’t agree that quality is more important than
quantity especially when you are hungry!
In a way the fast food analogy represents what some children get from their parents as well. Mum or Dad want the same quality, but
quicker service, faster times together. I’ll take the hamburger now, I need it in a couple of minutes instead of in ten minutes.
Although it won’t be fresh off the grill, that’s okay because I’ve got an important appointment to catch-up with now. Fast food
parenting does not have a lot of benefits rather it destroys families and cripples societies. Take the precaution and make the
necessary amendments in your home.

GIVE THEM SPECIAL CARE

In dealing with your kids’ hurt and problems, we can have a difficult time because if they feel we don’t want to know or don’t truly
care or don’t have the time, they won’t tell us what bothers them. Even if a child doesn’t say it in words his/her attitude can give
you a clue. If the expressions on his/her face gives you the impression your son or daughter wants to share something but somehow
wants to become silent for a while, make the first effort to communicate. If he/she drops a hint at the dinner table, please suggest
that you go somewhere quiet for a talk, after you have eaten. Make sure you have no interruptions, like the TV, phone, family or
friends.
Anytime you are alone with your child, just ask what’s wrong and how you can help. Find out what the problem is. If
 your child does not want to share, tell them to come to you, when they feel more comfortable. You have already taken the
most important step, by showing you care and will be there.

However, you don’t say you care once and expect your child to share every trouble with you. Keep asking over and over
again, so as to encourage your son or daughter to tell you of the hurts and joys in his/ her mind. Your child has a barrier
called pride, and you will need to break it. Turning into an adult is awfully scary, but kids have a hard time admitting it. In
addition your son or daughter has seen the hypocrisy of the world, which tells them that parents think, ” no kid will hold
me back . I’ve got a career to run ” They have seen parents act as if they thought this way, and need to know
you are different and really care. They will only know this when it’s shown. All parents are implored this to help the children
become the best in life.

EXPOSE YOUR CHILDREN TO LEARNING SKILLS THROUGH VACATION JOB

We need to encourage our wards, not only by putting them in school, and by buying them everything they want. No, we need to show
them what the real world is like, for them to know early enough that life is not a bed of roses and be grateful to us for preparing them
ahead of time. If you are
into trading, carry them along, you can make them your accountants, your personal assistants. If you are in the corporate world, invite
them to your office once in a while, when there are some holiday jobs or some errands to run within or outside office, or a contract
job awarded in form of employment for the mean time, so far as it does not clash with their academics, get them involved.
Expose them to the terrain of a workplace; make them aspire to the good and wonderful things there.

Compensate them for every good deed, and chastise them for every wrong deed. Do not say they are adult or mature enough to
differen-tiate between right and the wrong doings. No, it’s not always like that. Don’t make them what they are not, don’t indulge them,
always be in charge, but don’t exploit them. However, don’t overdo things, give them breathing space and try not to be overbearing.

It’s good to be disciplined. Yes, discipline they say, goes a long way to mould character. But when that is done without
love, it could lead to rebellion. Parents should try to avoid this. When you scold a child for wrongdoing, it’s your duty to
make the wrong right, and show the reason for the punishment. Note that all effort is wasted if you have not been able to
put the message across.

Some parents believe it is when they shout at the top of their voices,
embarrass the child, that the correction has been done. On the contrary, the training of a child should not be the sole
responsibility of outsiders. It is expected to be the sole business within the household. At the other end, we have some parents
that worship their children the moment they reach some stages in life. This isn’t ideal, clothing them in borrowed robes is
leading them astray. This will definitely make them misbehave, it will encourage them to adopt a fake and unrealistic view
of life, and nothing will be ever valued in their eyes. Consequently, pomposity, maladjustment, deviant and insatiability are
their later results.
.

WHO IS A TEACHER?
Firstly, teaching is a noble profession and plays a significant role in the lives
of everyone. I admire the teaching profession as the best in the entire world.
The teachers in our present educational system should be more dedicated and devoted to
service especially in the education of children. Since their output tomorrow is
determined by the teachers’ input today. There should be a passion-driven attitude
towards the educational well-being of the young minds. Also, special consideration and
treatment should be given to them in order to create an en abling environment for
effective education.

Albeit we all claim to believe teaching is a worthy profession, but then its relevance has
been underutilized to a large extent`. Impressively, teachers’ salaries have risen
substantially over the past decade, only that the professional is yet to be highly valued in
the society. They could probably be improved by simply reducing top-heavy
administrative structure in our public educational system.

The system should create a tool by which private corporation could offer
recognition and financial reward to outstanding teachers who consistently achieve
excellence in providing noteworthy educational opportunities for their students.
At the same time, I think teaching would be a more honored career if we
raised the qualification standards for the profession, and thereby positioning it as a
profession worthy of admiration by the upcoming generation.
STRATEGIC FORMULA FOR TEACHING

In cases where I encounter students whose teachers do not take their duties seriously and
do a less-than adequate job, it beats my imagination that the most sensitive job in the world
is entrusted to people who have little or no training.

Just like myself. As a real estate professional, I had to be licensed in order to be

professionally effective.

The primary objective for teachers is to have the students they can impart their knowledge
on, while they still aim for more development in the profession. However, l am
recommending pre-requisite training, but despite my ongoing concern about the state of
teaching, I see reason for improvement.
 ADDITIONAL PARENTING FORMULA

In previous generations, kids were not only accountable to their parents but to older
relatives, their parents friends, neighbors and even the occasional adult stranger, who all
took responsibility for supervising and instructing the community children. If a boy was
making mischief, whether by throwing stones at passing vehicles or carelessly bumping
into an elderly person on the sidewalk or road, there was always some adult around who
would speak up and tell him ‘that’s not right’! He could make a phone call to report the
boy’s misdeed to his parents or could take him by the arm and march the lad home to
discipline him. Such things do not happen very often today. It seems that as our population
grows and we are forced to live closer together we no longer know our neighbors well
enough to assume such responsibility, or maybe as we are in a society that holds to no
moral absolutes, we are reluctant to judge anyone’s behavior as right or wrong.

Whatever reason, parents today are not living up to expectations I am convinced that
parents are far more important when it comes to raising a child; having others in the
village to count on can be of additional importance. Parents today need to extensively look
out for groups of other concerned parents in the neighborhoods, schools, wherever we are.
So as to support each other, share concerns, exchange strategies and sharpen each other’s
parenting skills. None of us should try to tackle su ch a high stake exploit alone
without a safety net.
 THE NEED TO IMBIBE THE FUNDAMENTALS IN EVERY SOCIETY
The continuity of a society depends upon the transmission of its heritage to the young
generation. It is essential that the young ones be instructed in the ways of the group. Every
society therefore establishes its own way of socializing children into the norms and values it
has established.

The goals a society set for its educational system, what and how children are taught in
schools by tutors all depend upon what is perceived as valuable to that society. It is
commonly accepted that the major function of a society is to produce men and women
who, in addition to being able to make a successful living, can also adjust to society
and contribute to its economic and social well-being as well as its development. For
instance, it is through education via tutors that individuals receive knowledge and
skills, which can be used to improve general standard of living a society. Furthermore,
through both their knowledge and people processing functions, the tutors are able to
produce the required manpower such as doctors, engineers, estate professionals,
agriculturists, architects, and others that are vital for meeting the basic needs of society in
the various areas and for generating high productivity and growth in the economic sector
of the society.

The tutors also perform the function of social selection through which the more able of
the society are sorted out of the population; this is necessary for role differentiation and
role assignment and hinges on the vital purpose of education in all ramifications.
“I have the energy; I have the will, coupled with enough
curiosity
to grow. Invest in me and all my talents I will gladly
show.”
 CHAPTER 4

THE SEED PRINCIPLE THEORY/THE POWER OF A CHILD

“If you plan for a year, plant a seed,

If for ten years, plant a tree,
If for a hundred years, empower the people,
When you sow a seed once, you’ll reap a single harvest,
If you teach the people, you’ll reap a hundred harvests for posterity”.

The right foundation starts from the family and that’s why parents should observe to give
their children a right start and good training at home and in school as the saying goes “charity
begins at home”.

Here, we throw more light on the importance, implication and effects of educational values
for the child. Analyzing the phases at which a child is raised for a specific purpose with
illustrations and key points.

THE CONCEPT OF THE SEED PRINCIPLE THEORY

The theory states that a seed has the potential for becoming a big tree in due
season. And we know that many trees make a forest. This means that a child
is like a seed which has the potential to grow beyond physical circumstances
as long as the seed is given the platform to prove its worth. The point in view is that when a
child is well brought up, nurtured and trained; he will inevitably turn out to become an agent
of positive change to humanity anytime.

Below is the analogy drawn from the case of a seed in the hand of a farmer who has a
fertile land readily prepared. The seed when planted should be well nurtured, protected
and groomed in order to grow fine and not die-off. In due season, of course within a short
period, the seed reaches maturity, develops branches and starts bearing fruits which fall to the
ground and sprouts into an expansive forest.
 THE STRUCTURE OF THE CONCEPT OF THE SEED THEORY

PHASE III PHASE IV

Overtime the (Friction)
At this point the fruits on
germinated seed the tree fall to the ground to
grows to become a recycle the process of
tree with fruits on germination which creates a
it. platform for the seed to
become a forest.

PHASE II
PHASE 1
(Germinating) Survives,
(Planting)
was given the required
Seed planted in
nutrients to grow. The
the soil
seed survives with the
available nutrients,
rainfall and sunlight
In full requirements, it takes humanity to see the release of potential. Humanity must be invested on
to ensure the sustainability of the society. When the people are trained, equipped and empowered
with information, they will inevitably turn out to be creative, innovative, productive and
proactive.
As seen in the above diagram, the seed requires sunlight and rainfall to germinate and grow to its
full potential.
It is noted that life cannot give you what you don’t demand for, and that’s why we must
collectively work together to achieve our goal for national development. After all, the essence of
life is all about what you can bring to the table.
The child you invest in finally becomes a full fledge adult and starts giving back to the society by
rendering services that will contribute towards nation building. Here the right foundation creates
a platform for effectiveness at any level.

On the contrary, if the child is not given the positive values required during upbringing, he
will grow up to become a miscreant and a liability to the family and the entire society as he
has nothing to contribute towards nation building. The outcome of such negative impacts
creates counter-productive results in the individual which finally affect the society
negatively.
The illustration is synonymous to a child who has the right foundation; he has the potential
for generation. Biologically, he grows up to have a marital life and starts reproducing
children, thereby the circle remains perpetual for a lifetime which results to a generation.
On the other hand, when the seed is not properly taken care of in the early phase of
development, the seed falls to the ground and is choked off without any productivity in its
environment.

A typical example is the likes of Martin Luther King Jnr who spurred a positive change in
his generation and US president Barrack Obama following suit after so many years of the
former’s “I have a dream” creed. He brought that same creed to a tangible that fetched him
the most enviable position of all times (First black American President).

.
THE STRUCTURE OF CHILD EDUCATION FROM HOME/FAMILY
The child is born into the family, there he/she receives the growing up orientation and trainings
either good or bad, the outcome is dependent on the parents’ role on proper child
upbringing. This is the primary role of parents.
 INTEGRATION
This structure is spherical in its
operation. It revolves around like a
cycle

A CHILD GROWS UP AS A CONTRIBUTIVE CITIZEN

(Citizen Responsibility)
The child develops as an adult citizen intellectually and otherwise to becoming an
asset to the society. The citizen pays back to the immediate family and entire
society through ideas that will improve the standard of the people and society at
large. According to Abraham Lincoln, “Think of what you can do for your
country and not what your country can do for you”.

SOCIETY FAMILY
(Government Responsibility) 1st Training School.
Here the child grows up to become (Parents’ Responsibility)
an adult. The government provides A child is born into a family
an enabling environment that will He receives the parental training initially
help and encourage the young mind from the family.
to become more productive, provide The type of values (positive or negative)
job opportunities for the trained and given to him as orientation during this early
educated and support systems that phase of life will determine his adulthood
will leverage the people in meeting (either make or mar him).
their needs.

SCHOOL
2nd Training School

(Teacher’s Responsibility)
The child is taken to the school. Here the teacher plays a significant role in
inculcating positive educational and moral values that will help the
children to grow into becoming assets and contributors to national
development. The school prepares and empowers them with needed
information that will release them into identifying their abilities, develop their
talents and release their potential.
 Note: Furthermore, the government should provide employment opportunities for the
people to work. It is job opportunities that would make our citizens creative, productive
and effective. Favorable policies should be initiated in order to considerably affect the lives
of the children positively towards achieving our national goal.

THEMES FOR PARENTING

Despite the tidal wave of attention given to this latest “Hot title on Parenthood’’. The vast
majority of parents instinctively understand their important role in the lives of their children.

The first thing I wish that every parent should understand is that children gain a sense of
who they are, and who they will be from their family. At least they should, if we provide
an appropriate environment, where communication is open and values are adopted, then
our children will be less likely to seek outside influences to determine who they are and
how to behave. The second thing I wish to communicate to parents is a warning:
Children really have a built-in hypocrisy antenna. According to Ben Carson in his book,
the ‘Big Picture’, he writes that children are very observant in listening and watching
what their role models (parents, teachers) do or act and even practice by imitating their
behaviors in a secret silent way. It is childish to think that they are too small; children have
sharp minds especially at the learning stage. If your child should grow into a very loving
and kind hearted man or woman, it starts from your home as he watches your interaction
and association with neighbors.

Therefore, the children must learn positive values from the parents and teachers in order to
grow up with such set standards.

The third most important thing parents need to remember is love. Children need love.
No matter whom we are or what we do, we all need someone to give us unconditional
love. This doesn’t mean we don’t punish them or provide appropriate discipline. Love,
in fact should be our motivation. For we need to love our kids and do this so convincingly
and consistently that they will never doubt it. That is the greatest single challenge of
parenthood.
THE IMPORTANCE OF A PROPER APPROACH TO A TENDE R -AGED

The importance for a special approach to a child rests on the rational belief that all
human beings are entitled to equal consideration and respect. Their rights are meant to be
taken with every seriousness.

! Uba Nnabue in his book Rights of a Child has described that there‘s a
thin line drawn between moral right to a fundamental right. He has
distinguished between this right and the right to be treated with the same
respect and concern as anyone else. This right takes into consideration
the disadvantaged members of the society in the treatment of people.
Thus, it recognizes the need to give people of tender age special treatment.
The right of fair treatment is ‘‘the right to an equal distribution of some
opportunity or burden’’.

The right to equal respect and concern is reflected in John Kawl’s ideal principles
of justice. The first principle is that there should be no social or economic
inequalities except in so far as they are to give the greatest benefit to the least
advantaged member of the community, and in so far as there is fair equality of
opportunity.

It is consistent with this idea that the law should grant special protection to the
child. The law therefore ought to protect the child’s interest especially against
abuses. The law ought to note that the period of childhood is a very sensitive period and
that in some situations a child is incapable of determining what is in his best interest. At a
certain age, they have already developed some certain strength and passions,
without experience enough to regulate them. Too sensitive to present impulses, too
negligent of the future, such a being must be kept under an authority more immediate
than that of the law.

It should be pointed out that although parents usually take care of the child and exercise
control over them, it is necessary to protect them. Some parents fail to protect their
children against risk. Indeed, children are regarded by some parents as items of property
to be used for securing social and financial advantage. This must be discouraged
through schooling and training to enable the society acquire the much needed education to
appreciate the whole worry about the need to protect the child.
INCULCATING IN THEM THE SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY
As an elder or parent, we can learn from this examples below and grant our
young ones increased freedom as they show themselves capable of handling it.
We note what some parents had to say on their experiences in this regard:

‘‘I used to interfere with my children’s activities far too much later, I
taught them principles and let them make decisions according to
what they had learned. After that, I noticed that they began
weighing their decisions more carefully.” Soo Hyum, Korea.

“My husband and I are always a bit apprehensive, but we have

not let this keep our children from exercising in a responsible way,
freedom that they have rightly earned.” Daria, Brasil

‘‘I have found it important to praise my teenage son for the good
way he uses the independence that I grant him. He also does what
I ask him to do. For example, I tell him where I’ m going and what
I’m doing. If I’m running late, I let him know.” Anna, Italy

‘‘In our home we emphasize that independence isn’t something our

sons are entitled to but something they have to prove they can
be trusted with.” - Peter Britain

The above comments are commendable approaches from parents from all parts of the
world, on the best ways a child can bear responsibility and learn by their experiences.

“My child will always tell me that he did rather prefer staying
independently
rather than being at home for unreasonable reasons from us. His
attitude at home became more unbearable that he stays out late at
night, engage in so many irresponsible act . This became a regular
thing that we decided to cut him some slacks, prepared his
documents (travel) to study abroad. His independence in the U.K
has brought us relieve and helped him to become self-reliant,
determined and successful in his life.
ThankGod Olufunmi.
Likely with good intentions, some parents shield their children from the
consequences of unwise actions. For instance, suppose through frivolous
spending a son gets himself into debt, what lessons would be taught if Dad and
Mum simply settle that debt? However, if the reverse be the case, he would
learn if his parents helped him work out a plan to be able to do the pay
himself, which already puts in him a strong sense of responsibility that will guide his
decisions - hence.

It is far better to give children the opportunity to learn how to work through their problems.
This is an important aspect of having their ‘‘perceptive powers’’ trained to distinguish both
right and wrong. There is no doubt that parent that has teenagers face a daunting task. At
times, they will likely shed tears of frustration as they strive to bring up their children in the
discipline and mental regulating of goodly character. This may happen sometimes to enable
us build more better ways to parent effectively.
Finally, effective parenting is not about controlling but about teaching and
instilling proper values.
“Money for food, money for bread, money for where I will lay my head.
Money to
live, money to grow, school? Nope... don’t have money to go”
 CHAPTER 5

CHILD ABUSESYNDROME

Firstly, let’s define Child abuse, as an action based on cultural orientations, degree
of enlightenment and development. The view associated with the abuse of the rights of a child
shows that its influenced and caused by the many conflicting social, cultural models and values.

In addition to the above perspectives, agencies that focus on issues of social policy and
children’s welfare can be classified as:

! Those who see child abuse as a social problem

! Those who see it as an issue about power and the oppression of the
powerless
! Those who see it as part of a far wider issue about the rights and
entitlements of children in general and how these link to other rights.

Some authors made lists of the various contrasting definitions of child abuse and neglect to
include offences, which naturally differ from those of victims, agents of social control
(e.g. police, social workers) who may have different perceptions influenced by
colleagues, friends, neighbors, that goes a long way in affecting their decisions or
actions. The first definition of child abuse was that based on the concept of ‘‘battered
child syndrome’’ which focused on clinical, physical conditions and was restricted to
acts of physical violence that inflict injuries on its victims. From medical perceptive, he
brought together information on clinical, physical manifestation of child abuse and neglect.
Linking clinical because it did not only draw physicians’ attention to physical abuse of
children but led first to public awareness of the incidence and prevalence of physical abuse,
also to pursue adequate measures for protecting children from physical abuse.
S
econdly, the traditional social approach to the definition of child abuse and neglect
tends to look at these concepts globally from socio-economic perspective. In this approach
to the definition of child abuse and neglect are perceived as the cruelties and neglect which
result from circumstances e.g. poverty, which prevent parents from giving their children
their full entitlements as their responsibility.
Categorically, other writers suggest the concept of inadequate parenting which is
consistent with the traditional social concept of child abuse. The interaction between
economic, social and educational deprivations makes it evident that parents would find it
difficult to bring up their children when the basic family necessities are not available.

Thirdly, is the ‘‘parenting deficiency’’ theory that posited lack of information or

inadequate knowledge about common human, health and development, what to
expect from children at different stages of their development and the part parents
would play for most favorable development were major factors in child abuse are
neglected. These deficiencies often lead parents to having unrealistic ambitions and skills
acquisition at ages when children are too young to be sidelined. This failure to meet
parental qualities leads to frustrations, anger and disappointments and are often key
factors in cases of child abuse.

The study of child abuse and neglect expanded, definitions increased in scope
and intensity. Thus, in contrast to the focus on individualistic image of the child
abusers; Looney (1989) redirected attention from the individuals carrying out the
abuse to the social factors that may bring about such abuse. He listed the
social conditions and factors which create conditions of abuse as:
! Poor children educational background/orientation

! Poor housing and homelessness

! Poor health which is the direct detrimental effect of deprivation on the
physical and mental health of the children.
Other definitions include mental or psychological injury like sexual abuse,
negligent treatment or maltreatment of children.

Whenever there is a gap between a child’s actual circumstances that would assure their
optimum development respectively, then the child is judged to be abused.

In spite of the tremendous achievements in the area of definition of child abuse and neglect,
one issue that is paramount in the discussion of child abuse, child neglect and the child’s right
is their relative powerless and non-participation in defining and resolving issues of major
concern to children. According to UNICEF, child abuse can be defined as the portion of
harm to children that result from human action or in-action that is proscribed, proximate or
preventable, thus, while neglect is prone to occur from stress emanating directly from poverty
and inadequacies.
Finally, Looney holistically defined abuse and neglect as any act of commission or omission by
a parent or individual, institution or society, as a whole, that deprives a child of equal rights and
liberty and or interferes with or constrains the child’s ability to achieve his/her optimal
development potential.
PREVENTION OF CHILD ABUSE
Having stated the obvious in the foregoing passages, child abuse can eliminate the social
conditions which generate mental awareness and reactionary behaviors. These in the
main include reduction of the frustrating life circumstances faced by poor parents in
local areas. Concern should be shown to all who have no jobs, or the ones without adequate
earnings or even those with the required skills find it difficult to find jobs and provide for
their families. The best attempt is to better the conditions of those categories of parents
whose children are at risk of abuse.
Providing legislation alone against child abuse may not produce any meaningful results
without first attacking the basic roots of the problem. The solution of child abuse neither
lies in enacting laws nor in removing those children from their homes, because these
cannot actually help the situation.

Thus, there is need to endeavor to provide for subsistence in every home and in the state.
This may be achieved through the charity gesture of philanthropic organizations, the levy
of special taxes against all companies, banks and businesses. Perpetrators of child
abuse through parental abuse should devise economic policies which will better the
general life and the welfare of the populace. The funds realized from the above exercise
will be used to run an agency for the prevention of pov erty. To ensure equitable
distribution of this money to deserving citizens, the state should organize through the local
government an agency for whose major duty should be the monitoring of the welfare of the
less privileged, to keep proper records of the less privileged and also serve as a political
front to protect and represent the interest of the poor. There should be social security
programs just like in the civilized nation. This service will cover the lapse created by the
absence of state social security service which will cater for the poor and the unemployed.
“I have the power; I have the skill, to build a nation! I have the will, but not
the tools, no
motivation, just bare impractical education. I’m a boxer in a tennis court,
figure it out”
 CHAPTER 6

HUMAN RESOURCE: HE
T MASTER KEY TO PRODUCTIVITY

The concept of quality and early education for the child is one that has the potential to
enhance nation-building since it is the backbone of human resources capital for
creativity, productivity and effectiveness. However, human resource is the process of
identifying, harnessing and managing an individual’s inherent abilities and skills, thereby
channeling it towards values in productivity.

The term productivity according to Longman’s Dictionary of Contemporary

English means ‘‘the rate of producing goods, crops etc the relationship between the
amount that is produced and the work, money etc that is needed to produce it’’. This could
be interpreted to mean that productivity has to do with achieving greater efficiency and
effectiveness in the use of productive resources (human and capital) or significantly
reducing the level of wastage of productive resources in a system or society. One of the
interesting things about productivity is its ability to be value-driven in meeting human needs
on a long run.

Therefore, the need for human resources development in the Nigerian context is an
important factor that needs urgency in order to actualize our entire goal for the nation.
Stating the:

1. FULL AND GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES

Provide gainful employment for everyone in the labor force and put to
full use all idle or underutilized resources to secure their contribution to
national output. In this regard, there is need to sustain the employment
generation and promotion programs of the National Directorate of
Employment (NDE). The program s include the national open
apprenticeship Scheme (NOAS), resettlement scheme, waste-to-wealth
scheme and school-on wheels scheme. The most popular of the schemes
appears to be the NOAS in which young men and women, adolescents
are apprenticed in both private and public establishments.

The duration of the training ranges from 6 months to 3 years depending

on the type of trade or work. The trades include bricklaying, carpentry,
 masonry, plumbing; auto-mechanic , fashion designing, and other vocations .
Particularly, primary and secondary school leavers who have limited prospect
to study further should be encouraged to partake in this program to ensure
full human capital development .

2. PRIORITIZATION OF HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT

There is need to invest massively in human capital development for people to be
productive in the work place . They need to possess skills usually acquired
through formal training in educational institutions and they also need to be healthy
(Schultz, 1981). Therefore there is need for Africans to restructure their
organization and management pattern in order to add value to our propensity or
national development
The processes of enabling people acquire productive skills and maintain good
health is known as human capital development.

The number of those who acquired skills, the quality of skills acquired by
individuals and their wellbeing depend on the amount of resources the society is
prepared to invest in human capital development. It is proposed that government
should make the possible maximum investment in the development of its large pool of
human being through education and quality healthcare.

This is essential because it takes a well trained, healthy, and highly motivated
persons with entrepreneurial ability and skill to organize other resources for efficient
production. To make leadership and communication in the work place -
organization of labor for production - easy, there is need for effective thinking and
articulate work force.

On this note, there is the justification to spend funds for eradicating illiteracy
and promoting mass education at all levels. In making this recommendation, one is not
unmindful of the fact that to provide mass education at all level is a costly venture
requiring a huge investment in well equipped training centers and availability of
personnel. But, suffice it to observe that the long term benefits of personal
improvement will outweigh its cost.

Besides the economic benefits, there are social benefits to be derived from educating the
citizenry. Education, it is said ‘‘makes people easy to govern but difficult to enslave.’’
people would also stand a better chance of managing their health, time and personal
resources more properly if they are educated.

Furthermore, the best check on undesirable population growth which depresses the living
standard of families and the nation lays in education which leads people to discover the
essence of family planning. Human resources development should not be restricted to
guiding people to read and write or training them on marketable skills- but must also be on
how to acquire good health habits and attitudes.
Human Resource is simply human potential. Potential with infinite capabilities and
capacity with the possibility of beneficial engagement. Potential however, it must be noted
does not have to be productive and that an opportunity has to be seized to translate
potential into real value. Human resources development is one that has people to implement
a policy of mass education at all levels than could be accommodated in a situation where
market forces determine the allocation of resources including who acquires training.

Building Intellectual Capital It was Winston Churchill, the last sage and former
British Prime Minister who once said that the empires of the future are empires of the
mind. Very true, and one cannot agree any less. The battle field is no longer in the land,
air or sea or even in the football pitch. The battle field of this time is in the intellect. You
need plenty of it if you are going to survive in this dispensation. This times we are living in
today has been described by many as the century of knowledge and of accelerated change.
In the past, only few countries like the United States and Western Europe could boast of a
repository of intellectual capital.

Today, the demographics are shifting and changing at even astonishing rates. The United
States used to lead the world in talent or high intellectual capacity. When the U.S. was
the world leader in talent and innovation, other countries were not stagnant, they were
making efforts to catch up with her and they are now quickly overtaking them,
countries like China, Japan, Malaysia, Germany and many others.

This is obvious evidence that nothing is constant and never has been. The only constant
thing like they say is rapid change. The company that is an industry leader today may
not even exist tomorrow. Bill Gates seems to have a good understanding of the times we
live in when he said that “only the paranoid survive”.

Realistically, natural resources will not be the only determining factor of how wealthy a
country maybe. If that is the case, Nigeria which is endowed with 25 percent of all the

mineral resources in the world is unfortunately seen among the poorest in the world.
Compare Nigeria with Singapore or Japan with no natural resources but high brainpower
which they deliberately developed over the years.
Incredibly, Japan as a country has only about one-third of its landmass habitable. It is prone
to natural disasters but nonetheless, is the second richest country in the world. How can that
be possible, while some many nations in Africa that are naturally endowed are busy winning
its natural resources and fighting over resource control? Japan is after the mind of its people
to the developing of their intellectual capital.
The two countries are miles apart in every ramification. The standard of living and quality
of life of the citizens of both countries cannot be compared. I believe that’s why Keith
Bradley in his book once said that ‘‘in the twenty-first century, wealth will mainly be
delivered from intellectual capital”, and time has proven this.
Nevertheless, natural resource finance and production processes will be replaced as key
strategic factors since they are now available through market transactions on a more or less
equal basis. The value of a company’s intellectual capital will have a major influence on
competitive advantage. For any entity to succeed in the next century, they will have to find a
way of managing the present by looking into the future rather than the past.

Walter Winston echoed this pattern saying that “The new source of wealth is not material; it
is information, knowledge applied to work to create value.” Rich Kargard added that
“Human intelligence and intellectual resources are now any company’s most valuable
assets. Then, the Harvard Business School has it that a nation’s wealth is no longer decided
on the location or availability of natural resources or even military might instead the way
nations choose to organize and manage themselves determines the prosperity or poverty.

Yes, these cannot be over-emphasized. To build intellectual capital, nations must have a
good education system. We need to empower our people, importantly, the younger
generation with quality education to enable us sustain and rebuild a better today and a
promising tomorrow.

Corruption: a bane to human resource development Corruption has been

prevalent for long, therefore needs to be taken into seriousness. Lending credence to the
aphorism, ‘‘Necessity is the mother of invention’’. There is the need to eradicate corruption
in the system (Nigeria) in order to rebuild and sanitize the country from so many
deficiencies. The need for reduced corrupt practices in the country is of great importance
in order to move the nation to greater heights. Nigeria is, without any shadow of doubt,
one of the corrupt nations in the world. There have not been many people made to fac e
the music for corruption and so, from fairly timid manifestation in the 1960’s,
corruption has grown bold and ravenous as with each succeeding regime our public
servants have become more reckless and blatant.

Professor Chinua Achebe observed in his work that…”To initiate change, the president of
this great nation must take a bold decisive and conscious step of ridding his administration
of all persons on whom the slightest wind of corruption and scandal has blown. When he
can summon up the courage to do that, he will find himself grown overnight to such stature
and authority that he will become Nigeria’s leader not just its president. Only then can he
take on and conquer corruption in the country”

As the act is the dishonest and improper use of one’s power or position to acquire wealth
(money and property), also it’s an economic crime against the nation which in most
instances impoverishes the nation and her citizens.
This is more so, in case where public wealth invested for public interest to secure
improvement in the quality of life of all citizens is siphoned into private foreign or local bank
accounts or is used in buying luxurious properties or being squandered on frivolities.
Corruption and indiscipline cut across the whole spectrum of the society from the leader to the
led at various levels of administration both in the public and in the private sector. Impressively
to an extent, a lot have been on the pace in putting a stop to this practice, which has eaten
deep like termite, in its perpetuators. With much having been achieved to this regard, I can
say that is obvious that we have started seeing the need for a credible government, and a safer
society that will typify integrity and dependability.

In consonance to the step taken to nip corruption in the bud, I deem it ideal to appreciate the
contribution of the past presidency of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo whose inauguration into
office on 29th May, 1999 ushered the nation Nigeria as a democratic state. His administration
appointed vibrant and determined leaders who left indelible mark in different sectors of the
economy such as the Ministry of Finance, Health, Education, EFCC, Information and
Communication Technology. They initiated an anti-corruption bill which was passed by the
National Assembly and signed into law by the President then on 13th June, 2000. It was
named the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission and other related offences Act 2000.
The commissioned act was established and vested with the responsibility for investigation,
prosecution, and punishment of all persons engaged in or aiding corruption.

Additionally, in eradicating corruption there is a collective need for every person to be

fully involved in the crusade against corruption through:

a. Fostering the knowledge and the right values in the family, school, community
and in the entire Nigerian society.

b. Re-ordering the value system in Nigeria from its unbridled capitalistic

orientation which breeds greediness in contrast to a welfare-
oriented-people value system that promotes humanity.

c. Insistence on transparency and accountability by public office holders

so as to ensure that people are prevented from corruptly enriching themselves
and that those who try to do so, no matter their level, will not be allowed to get away
with their loots.
Our collective resolve to work towards these recommended measures should be guided by
the new vision of a devout hope for the Nigerian society. This is embodied in the address of
the former Chief of General Staff, Lt. Gen. Oladipo Diya at the launching of War Against
Indiscipline and Corruption (WAIC) awareness campaign in the state, which runs thus: “If
Nigeria is to develop and provide basic services to our people, we must resolve to reject
corruption, and accept the positive values of discipline, integrity, honesty and hard-work’’.

Corrupt practices have seriously ruined our nation, destroyed the moral values of our
society and thus projected a negative image of our dear nation to international
communities.

I believe that the time has come for us to arise and rebuild our nation; we deserve a better
life, and we will succeed.
“Education is powerful, for I was but a babe and I have
grown rightly into a man, and through education will
soon become a sage. Upon this barren land I must
cast my knowledge.
 CHAPTER 7

EDUCATION: A master key

Education, they say is the killer of all negative activities. “Education kills the
disease of fear, ignorance, poverty and superstition; it opens up the
mind to aspire to the peak .”

It’s been the vehicle that has conveyed theories, methods, and administration of
schools and other agencies of information from ancient times to the present. Education
developed from the human struggle for survival and enlightenment. It may be formal
or informal. Formal education refers to the process by which teachers instruct students
in courses of study within institutions, whilst Informal education refers to the general
social process by which human beings acquire the knowledge and skills needed to
function in their culture.

Education can turn dreams into reality. The primary concern in this chapter is to enlighten
us better on the need for personal and continuous improvement. Whenever we have the
opportunity to speak with the children, we should inspire them with a few of our own true life
stories about what education has done in our lives, in that way giving them a leverage to move
up in life and turning their dreams into reality.

My co-author and I can never forget to share our own experiences on how reading and
education turned our dreams around, provided an escape from ignorance and enabled our
entire dream to come true. Nonetheless, it does not matter who you are, what you do, what
color of skin you have, where you come from, or how much money your family has.
Education is that key that opens unimaginable doors to greater achievement. I can tell you
who may have lost hope that with a determination for possible improvement and seeking
opportunities now; the sky is just the starting point for your greatness in life.

Lastly, it is through education that children will have the opportunity to practice and apply
everything talked about in this book. It is the laboratory where they refine their choices and
priorities - the test track for learning to turn obstacles into opportunities. Education breeds
enlightenment, and when we allows it to suffer neglect is at our own peril. It has a way of
serving as an antidote to some national ills. So education however can even bring solutions
to global phenomena neo-colonialism, neo-apartheid, racial discrimination etc.
“It’s all about the kids. It’s all for the children. They are the future. They are
our future”
 CHAPTER 8

IMPACTS N COMMUNITIES THROUGH

VALUES AND SERVICES

In this piece, we bring to you an evident achievement of what purpose and education
has schooled in us, and why is necessary to always see yourself as a change agent and
one of the people that will drive hope finally to its expectations.

Then as corps members, we served in different states - Bayelsa and Bauchi State.
Children Education Reorientation Program (CERP) was (Keith) initiated by me and I
(Prince) dedicated myself during that period to Non-governmental agencies involved
in the Human Right and Education for Women & Youths, I also forged strategic
alliances in the Niger Delta Region, having witnessed the people’s
deprivation with a resolve to make a difference. We did these as a
result of our passion to give back to the society that w hich has been invested in us
through both formal education and rigorous training on effectiveness . I (Keith) aimed
the vision at adding value to the lives of the younger generation by giving them the proper
foundation to excel and become productive in their immediate environment and to the society
as a whole.

The concept was a standard Nursery and Primary school with the objective that has
made impacts in the lives of the children in the community. As a psychiatrist I (Prince)
worked with various sections of mentally challenged young people just to bring sanity
to their individuality. In exacting this, our intention will also be to fire us up to see
what the investments of the present can amount to in our future. We established these
programs as our primary assignment, which attracted attentions from different spheres
within the precincts and fetched us so many honor, in awards and open doors. We
(Prince and Keith) joined forces together to bring our projects into uniformity that has
expanded beyond what we imagined with a new name Start Right Child Development
Initiative.
A
dditionally, with the agonizing story a friend (Donald Ekwegba) shared and wrote about
a family he knew, we had no regrets embarking on the projects, and writing this book.
The story goes thus….

“Someone said that “Poverty, Disaster, and Famine are just as deadly and
destructive as Earthquakes, Tsunamis, and Hurricanes”. I want to believe that illiteracy
can be as severe as these hapless issues, as it can ruin an entire generation.
Regrettably for me, I grew up in a predominantly impoverished neighborhood, a ghetto
with high rates of environmental hazards which are enough to cause an epidemic spread
to its inhabitants.

There were only a few who went to school in the community where I was raised, and yet
some could not finish just because there were no sufficient funds from parents or guardians to
keep them going; while some never had the knowledge of what a school is all about, not
because they didn’t have the desire to learn, but their condition was a function of an
unfortunate twist of fate. My own case was a typical instance of the one who heard and
never saw. Life was so hard for my family that my parents, day in, day out, strived to make
it better, but the more ill the situation got. We starved for days with no end in sight.

Being the first child in the family of five was a terrible position to be in for someone like
me; I had sacrificed virtually everything for my siblings. My education had been deferred
by my parents just to have my younger ones go to school, but even at that, the requirement
of their schooling was hard to be met. Although dad had a security job; family demands on
him was almost tearing him apart; mom on her part was contributing as much as she could
through her petty trade and I had to assist her in my own little way. My dad developed
heart problem the day his appointment was terminated by his employer; already he had
been missing work due to health reasons. Two weeks after, he had an attack that took his
life right under my very eyes. From that day I knew that the family burden on my
shoulders had just increased. I was only thirteen when he died; I had to assume his
responsibility, so that my siblings could still go to school, but too bad those dreams were
never met.

My siblings dropped out from school at a very tender age and had to live off the street.
The lack of education has adversely affected their lives so much that they can neither
fend for themselves as adults nor be useful in anything per say. The situation is now
becoming worse, even after all the sacrifices I have paid, I still bear the burden of helping a
mom around just because she developed a poor sight in the course of so many to see us
through, as to the effect of poverty and malnutrition other than old age.
It’s very disheartening for me now to realize how battered and wounded an uneducated
individual can be when poverty becomes an impediment to a bright future”.

Having a friend share this story was almost like we should never had talked about it. Our
hearts went heavy as to the different factors that must have affected the future of this family;
unfortunately he said the last time he heard of them, that they’ve all retired to the village,
given to the several demands in the city, which they could not meet.
 CHAPTER 9

FINALE
In drawing the curtain close, we believe you must have had some moments of excitements
at the same time of thoughts, but that is synonymous with change, in bringing our focus on
the necessities and demands of our primary roles respectively. However permit me in this
closing piece to run through the entire book, bringing to you the key factors that will enable
you not only to see the book as a manual guide but a companion as long as you want to
effect change.

On the challenges, we stated the roots of educational down-turn, how the background of
education is hinged on the family, school, and the government most especially. They as
an entity have the final say on where the family is situated. Their decision may not come
out direct in all cases, but in one way will always affect whatever system or function of
our family. Consequently, the threats facing the parents decision on a child’s education
has been about the implementation which started at the time of tight economic situation
majorly. Giving to the increase in population rise, the shortage of facilities and man-
power in schools, and the decrease in government budgetary allocation to the
educational sector over the years, is enough for the negligence stemming from families
to their children’s education. The other side of the equation, which we are not ignorant to
is usually the parents/guardian limited access to enough information in knowing their
primary roles to the subject, reason could be poverty as a major confrontation in all
aspects.
We have it that in responsibilities, the government has what it takes, as we can boast at
least of a thriving economy in the system. Although the change we may all want to have
is a collective responsibility, but they carry all our contribution in a whole uniformity as
far as the nation is concern. Their role stretches farther into introducing policies that
expounds the value of education, and bringing a permanent solution to the educational
problems entirely.

Thoughtfully, in the natural sense it is usually advised that we study the natural ways by
which we exact knowledge and understand the relevance of information. This helps in
the influence on our decisions at any point, not overlooking the background. However,
in laying a good foundation for our children, the basic demand may not be from your
understanding that the child has a right to quality education, but when our values play
out right, we will see the urgency of a well structured foundation for every of our
children in their growth. In addition, the right of a child may really help in putting a-
must step in setting our priorities right for their proper development. Children are the
most valuable asset, so they need special welfare treatment while growing up into
adulthood, which is one of the illustrations of the seed principle theory. Their mental
 antenna is very receptive to amplify information during their early life as children.

This opportunity must be utilized and maximized effectively by the trio - parents,
teachers and government - towards inculcating into them positive values through teaching,
parental trainings, welfare and social amenities or policies, as discussed earlier. Also to
enable a perfect view of the puzzle, teachers on their part should also grasp fully this
fundamentals, not only will the teacher be the envy of all, but the result of their investment will
tell evidently in the child they have affected.

Necessarily, our children need all the best we can give them in enabling them work through their
problems and to develop their perceptive powers in distinguishing between right and wrong on
the long run. Heartily with so many concerns, the child abuse syndrome, parenting deficiency has
in many cases shortchanged and uttered the right of children in having a proper upbringing. That
is why Looney earlier defined abuse and neglects as any act of commission or omission by a
parent or individual, institution or society - in a collective view.

With so many emphases, the productivity and effectiveness of an individual lays in nurturing their
inherent abilities very early and directing them towards values, is where human capital
development goes the length in ensuring that is achieved. Corruption on this same trail has been a
major cog to value and integrity in the progress of civilization and human wellbeing, but can be
crusade against by inculcating the ideal values into every sphere of society. The essence of
education as the master key to the right family ideal, individual development, organization success,
economic boom, efficiency in societal development, are all tied to its dividends - proper
upbringing, the right values, continuous development, to say but a few - and should never be
overlooked. In a typical instance of the contrary, was the story of the hapless circumstance that that
family ended-up in, which surged into us more passion and gratefully for having started a project
like CERP just to affect the so many underprivileged and disenfranchised kids especially in the
rural community where a lot - poverty- is a stumbling block to the proper development of a child ,
and secondly in putting this manual guide together, although was never smooth all the way, but
with a heart to change the destinies of many we stood strong every step of the way.
Believe it; we all have our own talents and strengths to contribute in order to change the
world. For all of us, who have the opportunity and benefit of education, must ensure that we
support and herald the importance of education as a major tool to a better society. Excusing
the ancient pathways our fathers must have walked due to their ignorance, we can break
out of that mould. Undoubtedly, our world has been profoundly influenced by the thoughts,
beliefs, and actions of all its past and present inhabitants. History is created not only by
those whose names are revered and celebrated, but also by the not-famous and unknown. An
instance of this is Loren E. Eiseley, in his book The Star Thrower, on how he was walking along
a sandy beach where thousands of starfish had been washed up on the shore. He noticed a boy
picking up the starfish one by one and throwing them back into the ocean. Eiseley observed
the boy for a few minutes and then asked what he was doing. The boy replied that he was
returning the starfish to the sea otherwise they would die. Eiseley then asked how saving a
few, when so many were doomed, would make any difference whatsoever? The boy
picked up a starfish and as he threw it back he said, “It’s going to make a lot of difference to
this one.”

Eiseley left the boy and went home to continue writing only to find he could not write a single
word. He returned to the beach and spent the rest of the day helping the boy throw starfish
into the sea. Loren Eiseley after this experience discovered that it doesn’t matter whether or
not as individuals we rank among the famous. What does matter is that each of us has a
purpose in life to somehow make a positive contribution to the world in our own little way. I
know that with six billion inhabitant already on planet Earth, however, it can be
“reasonably” difficult to believe that there could be a special purpose for each and every one
of our lives. It is easy to feel insignificant among the multitudes. But nothing will have a more
positive effect on your level of accomplishment, fulfillment, and happiness than the belief
and understanding that you do bring to humanity something special that no one else can
offer.

Similarly, we had so many times of deep thought on whether we can achieve the
completion of this master piece, not to mention the writing blocks we had, and sometimes
the words on paper seemed not to be conveying the passion we felt towards making this
book a tangible, but the understanding that the phenomenon known as “meaningful
coincidence” served and encouraged us to persist and not give up in achieving it. We want
you to have a deeper understanding that the concept of fulfilling a purpose is a sense, more
than rational conclusion, even if we exhaust all our strength in encouraging you to affect
humanity. But know that what distinguishes truly successful people is that they are
contributors. They are in love with life and all the possibilities of what it means to be human.
Their accomplishments, their successes, are rooted in their desire to grow and be of service
to humanity, just like those who have earned the modern world’s respect - Mother Teresa,
Walt Disney, Barrack Obama, Lech Walesa, Lee Lacocca, Mikhail Gorbachev, Nelson
Mandela, Mohandas Gandhi and so many others. They have significantly different beliefs,
callings, and careers, but their shared aim are that each has the power of purpose in their
lives.

Finally, we will not give ourselves the satisfaction of a well comprehensive reference if we
fail to acknowledge the many people, however, who are relatively unknown but who share
with these honored and admired figures a deep sense of purpose. They are homemakers,
artists, businesspeople, school teachers, and volunteers; you will find them in every walk
of life. Their common, priceless legacy is that because of them the world is a better place.
What will you do for humanity today?
 REFERENCES

1. Fafunwa, A. (1974) History of Education in Nigeria, George Allen &

Union Ltd, London.

2. Ozigi, A. & Ocho, L. (1981) Education in Northern Nigeria, George

Allen & Union Ltd, London.

3. Taiwo, C.O (1980) the Nigeria Educational System: Past, Present &
Future; Butler & Tanner Ltd, London

4. N. T .I (1990) Historical foundation of Education, N.T.I. Kaduna, Nigeria.

5. Akinpeju J. A. (1981) Introduction to Philosophy of Education, London,

Macmillan.

6. Bamisaye, O. A. A. (1989) “ A Practical Approach to the Philosophy of

Education Ibadan AMD Publishers.

7. Emoh, O. A. (2003) A Handbook of Educational Foundation” Sames

Publication Jos.

8. Emoh, O. A. (2001) “Patterns to the Philosophy” Sames Publication Jos.

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Development, Princeton, N. J. Princeton University Press.

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Macmillan.

13. Ezewo, E., (1983) Sociology of education, Longman Lagos.

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15. Rights of the child Nigeria by Uba Nnabue.

16. Train up a child by Bredan C. Okwor.

17. National policy on education.

18. The Big Picture by Ben Carson.

19. The vision 2010 Agenda in Nigeria’s development by Emma Obasi.

20. Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.

“Something to get you thinking”