Importance of Education: Contributions of Our Parents in Our Educational Journey

If education in its simplest forms leads to knowledge, then there is no difficulty in understanding that it is of primordial importance. Education ensures that we develop our senses beyond the default natural instinct; grow in reasoning and enhance our rationality. This process of knowledge acquisition prepares us to great both in words and deeds, refines us and makes us ready for everyday living in a manner that is worthy of our humanity. This knowledge which used to be at the reach of only the rich is now within the grasp of everyone, regardless of status, creed or tongue(with no recourse to the low standard of our education system).

Education has become so vital and pronounced that it serves as the standard for measuring men’s worth/value. In other words, education provides us with the knowledge of the ways men and nature. To this great acquisition, our parents’ contribution is of great importance. As our first teachers and influencers, they make remarkable contributions towards what will become and an absence of such contribution tends to leave us short of the height we could reach. Therefore, I will take a time to thank you, our parents, for this noble work you’re doing and urge you to do even more in ensuring that we get better by the day. Our parents’ influence or contribution towards education does not end in aiding our acceptance and perception of the same but even goes to their material and moral support. In this part of the world, we see parents go the extra miles in ensuring that we get solid footings for us to thrive and achieve more than they have been able to do. Kudos to them! and a warm heartfelt to those who have lost theirs, especially at a tender age. Divine Providence shall be by you always.

As I earlier said, the contributions of our parents in our educational journey is without equals, therefore, it must be done with every energy and consciousness. It has to be known that if it is not well handled and managed, it might not be easily taken care of in the future. This effort, when done beyond average will reduce the numerous threats facing children’s education. At that early stage when all vital orientations are done in children’s lives, it becomes a grave challenge if the ‘free and open senses’ are not engaged in the proper way and manner. It is no longer news that Nigeria has the highest out-of-school children in the world (according to BBC) with a figure of 13.5 million children as a study done by UBEC reveals. If in a projectory population of 186 million out of which there are about 40 million children and 13.5 million are out of school. You and I clearly know that it is a serious challenge to the overall development of our dear nation. Surely, there are policies to encourage people in attaining, at least, the ‘Universal Basic Education’ but there are no corresponding strong institutions to ensure that these policies see the light of the day. But shall we seat and watch while the situation grows from bad to worse?

Another challenge which is also as daring as the first is the fact that parents send children to do works that will deny them the opportunity of getting knowledge through formal education. You see children hawking during school hours, others stay in shops or go to the markets to sell. These deprive the children of getting the proper and enhanced orientation for a better living. Another difficulty which I believe is on the decline is the fact that there are some cultural practices that prevent children, especially girls, from enrolling into school. Such a practice should be shunned and discouraged. Parents are to encourage their children’s learning and prepare them to take charge of their educational journey through paying attention to what they love, tuning into the way they learn, read with them, connect what they learn to everyday life, amongst others. When a child is positively prepared to lead a good life, he or she will not indulge in vices that are capable of bringing chaos and poverty in our society. He will be productive and resourceful in bringing about a good life for himself, his family and the society at large. In nutshell, it is profitable to train a child in a way and manner that he will bring about development to the world around him. Let’s send our children to school with corresponding training in various crafts. Thank you