Akangjungla
In the ongoing conversation about the state of human relationship, the world politics, health, education, employment and all the other factors that come into play in a person’s life, the concern of children is not an exception. It is a wishful thinking to believe that eradication of poverty and a strong educational system would address the many concerns involving children, anyway and anyhow.
Any educators know that learning and obtaining formal education does not necessarily mean imparting ethical and moral values to the children under their care. The unspoken consensus is that educational institutions know how to nurture the academic aspect of learning, skill development, but not necessarily the moral and ethical concepts. Institutions like Sunday school get attention among the Christians as it is perceived to provide an environment to learn moral and ethical values. Many churches in Nagaland no longer consider Sunday school teachers as voluntary service, recognising the responsibility they hold towards the health and growth of children and the church validates its importance. With generations moving on, Sunday school, especially in the urban location is misunderstood as a place to learn mother tongue or an ethnic language to preserve their culture and identity. Another negative assumption about Sunday school is, understanding it synonymous to day care centre where children are kept engaged in activities so that the adults can attend an hour of worship uninterrupted.
These statements assemble the insight that the teaching of values is not primarily the responsibility of the educational institutions or even the church. It takes to the family unit, the parents or the guardians a child grows up with. An attempt to understand the nature of the children in general or just a child in particular, takes back to the memories of one’s childhood and often the things recollected are limited by perceptions of time and experience. The image of having a home with responsible parents is unfortunately not the truth of many children. Growing up comes across as more complicated in the current world. With or without their parents, children are always suffering when war or violence have erupted, sickness and poverty wreak devastation on remarkable percentage of children. To knit a social system where every child feels safe and is nurtured to become good human being is a dream for many. The remarkable and reassuring fact that, despite the lack of infinite wisdom and patients, every sensible human being is capable for having a vision of compassion and kindness towards children.
Comments can be sent to akangjungla@gmail.com
