Truancy: Be mindful of your children’s peer group, educationist counsels parents
Truancy: Be mindful of your children’s peer group, educationist counsels parents
An Educationist, Mrs Amuche Ndukwe, has counseled parents to maintain cordial relationship with their children’s friends in schools, to checkmate them engaging in truancy and other vices.
Ndukwe gave the counsel in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos.
According to her, such familiarity will help weed out bad friends from their children’s lives.
The educationist described truancy as, “a deliberate absence by a student’s own free will and usually does not refer to legitimate excused absences, such as the ones related to medical conditions.”
Ndukwe, a retired director of the Lagos State Ministry of Education, said issues of truancy could easily be prevented, if a child’s friends are known to their parents.
She added that children needed close monitoring, especially at the secondary school stage.
“If a child has a friend or moves with a company of friends that stay away from school or do not attend classes, it is a big problem. And that explains the reason, parents must know their children’s friends.
“The danger of truancy is that it leads to lots of vices from that early stage and it is most important to identify it early and deal with it to save both the child, parents and society,” she said.
The educationist added that surveillance would further checkmate the activities of the child, as he or she would also be aware that his or her movements are being monitored by, or known to the parent.
”Again if the school environment is not conducive, it can lead to the child not concentrating in the classroom, so such student will not want to stay in the class.
“Also, the parents should provide the necessary things the child needs and have a cordial relationship with the child, by knowing all the child’s friends.
“The parent can also supervise the child when necessary and encourage him or her for every positive achievement.
“The parent should equally try to cultivate friendship with the class teachers as a way of collaborating for a common goal, which is the success of the student,” she added.
The educationist stressed that parents must strive to show interest and participate in their child’s school work, as well as build positive relationship with the teachers.
She also urged children to avoid peer groups that was capable of compromising their future.
Speaking further, Ndukwe noted the need for management of schools to provide conducive environment where teaching and learning could thrive.
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She added that supervisors of schools must also be more responsive to their roles, by checkmating the teaching methodology of teachers.
“Teachers should be friendly with their students and try to adopt a methodology of teaching that will impact on them positively.
“The school should expose the students to more practical lessons and discuss with their parents as the need arises.
“They should also build positive relationship with the students and their parents, as well as introduce incentives for class attendance,” Ndukwe said.
The educationist appealed to parents to find time to go through their children’s class work, performances and social activities.
“Parents should ensure they always keep an eye on all of the activities of their children,” she reiterated.
