For so many generations, education has been placed among the top priorities of Filipino families. Many parents have often regarded education to be worth a millionaire’s treasure that a struggling farmer would really work his heart out just to send his children to school or a “ labandera”  mother would not mind all the blisters and soft wounds on her hands just to give school fees to a child who needs money for matriculation.

This seemed to be the thinking of most parents with regards to how they value education. And up to now, there are parents who still carry out the same set of values regarding education.

But then, time has somehow changed the value system of many Filipino parents. It seems that now, parents would still care to send their children to school but some do not really seem to care whatever happens to their children after they are sent to school.

There are parents now who look like the moment they enrol their kid to school, the rest is up to the school and the teacher to provide. After registering their child, they seem to be freed from all the other responsibilities of taking care of them and looking after their needs every day. To some, the school would serve as a Day Care Center and Children’s Care Center that the responsibility of the school as an institution is to take care of their children while the parents and guardians are working to meet other family needs and everyday demands.

There are parents who do not want to be called to school for a conference should there be problems regarding their child. Some seem to feel that once the child is sent to school, parenting stops until the child goes home after school.

Is this what schooling means nowadays? Is this how valuing education has progressed?

It should be realized that the school is only the second institution that is primarily tasked to educate, mould and train young individuals to become well-rounded, well-trained, responsible and self-reliant individuals. The family still remains to be the prime and basic unit of the society that should be looking after and following up the progress and development of every child as he grows older.

The school is there to give formal education and training to children so they will be equipped with the formal needs and requirements of the present time but shaping up the value system and developing the individuality and character of every child still happen and spring up in the home where the family unites.

The school is there, however to strengthen such pre-gained values system and fortify or help modify the character and individuality developed at home.

It should also be noted that school children only remain at school about 8 hours of the 24 hours we have a day and spend about 40 hours of the total 168 hours a week that we have. So in totality, school children still stay at home and in the community for a greater number of hours than they do at school. Given such facts, the family still needs to remember that teaching and training the children to become better individuals and citizens of the country still lay so much in the hands of every family unit.

The family, primarily the parents need to be cooperating well enough with the teachers and the school to make sure that the child grows up the way we would hope and wish he would.

 

 

By: Gemmaruth G. Castro | Jose V. Abejar Memorial Elementary School | Abucay, Bataan