By Correspondent in Lokoja
The Publisher of The Reporters, an online publication based in Lokoja, Kogi state, Alhaji D U Ahmed, has stessed the for parents to show more commitment to the educational aspiration of their children as a away of putting on them on the sound path toward being responsible leaders of tomorrow in the country.
Ahmed gave the advice on Friday as the Quest Speaker at this year’s Speech and Prize Giving/ Graduation Dayand of Gifted Stars International Academy, Ganaja, a suburb of Lokoja, the kogi state capital.
He said this they could do by prompt payment of children’s school fees, developing intimate relationship with them, with a view to knowing their challenges and solve them, giving them educational guidance and making sure that children do their assignments,as and when due among others assistance.
Ahmed, who said was not unaware of the hard economic reality confronting Nigeria and the telling on Nigerians, parents inclusive, said no matter the level economic hardship, parents had it as a constitutional and moral duty to devote substantial amount of their scarce financial resources for the educational pursuit of their children.
According to him,if the parents believe in the popular saying that youths are the leaders of tomorrow, then they must make they train youths toward assuming responsibility in future.
“Educating the children is their right as enstrined in the Constitution of Nigeria and no parent has the right to deny them,” he stressed.
According to the Publisher, investing in the educational pursuit of the children is also worthwhile venture which parents might benefit from when some of them would have to rely on the children they trained to keep life going at old age.
Ahmed, decried instances of street hawking involving the under age in Lokoja and its environs and blamed the ugly development on some parents who developed lukewarm attitude toward the education of their children.
The Publisher commended the Proprietress of the Academy for her vested interest in the education of youths in the state and urged her to enhance the effort.
He called on the state to enforce the law prohibiting street hawking, adding that such amounted to child labour as well as inimical to educational aspiration of children.
Earlier in her speech, the Proprietress of the Academy, Mrs Gift Fredrick, said the Academy planned to start secondary school aspect of the academy in next academic session.
She solicited financial assistance from parents and other spirited individuals to enable the educational institution purchase musical instrument (drum).
“This school is in need of a set of drum that will make the daily assembly fun, nothing is small.
” The school is working out modality to start her secondary school,to kick-off by September, when the school resumes,”
Our Correspondent reports that the graduating pupils thrilled their parents and other members of the audience with rich cultural display,quiz competition.
They also engaged in debate which centres on who to blame regarding corruption; the leaders or the led anong social activities that marked the event.
The elated parents responded enthusiastically by raining naira on the graduands.
