Bula
When evil comes through! That’s the key in a powerful message delivered by School Management Association of Fiji president Govind Singh. He talks about the disregard for spiritual leaders and counsellors in schools causing a kind of “evil” that’s caused a deterioration of the school system akin to a crocodile waiting for its prey in murky waters. Mr Singh believes the removal of the talatala from schools had created a situation in which a national moral awakening was essential if parents were to become more involved with their children. He cited the case of parents giving their children drugs to sell.
“So who are we raising? Are we raising human beings?” Mr Singh asked. That’s the lead on Page 1 of the Fiji Times for Saturday, November 9.
In the second story, police are investigating the death of an inmate at the Fiji Corrections Service Natabua prison in Lautoka. It’s understood the male prisoner, in his late twenties, was found motionless inside his cell early yesterday morning. He was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead by doctors.
The top news in business is about missing millions. Millions of dollars said to be missing from the Nasinu Town Council books has forced its administrators to commission an investigation into its financials.
Synopsis
Moral dimensions
School Management Association of Fiji president Govind Singh has a lot to say about education and the nurturing of children. Fiji, he says, needs a moral awakening!
If he wasn’t well known for his views, then he certainly will be attracting a lot of attention for his powerful opinions on this very important part of our development as a nation.
We have always said that education is an important part of our development as a nation.
It sets the stage for our future.
We determine how that can turn out with the attention we place on education. Especially the attention we place on the nurturing of our children.
Mr Singh believes it is vital for the country to know its values, and whether peace, progress, and prosperity are reflected in the school curriculum and other platforms such as the media.
He talks about a lot of things that parents and guardians can relate to. The question though is whether we as parents and guardians are prepared to listen at all?
“Are they careful about what kind of programs they air when the parents have not come home, but the children are home alone,” Mr Singh asked.
“What goes on TV? Are we sensitive? Are we ethical? Have we run short of love, care, and beautiful upbringing?”
You can extend that across all media platforms, and onto the process of parenting, and at school.
There is a need, he said, for parents to become more involved in the lives of their children.
So many people, he noted, are getting caught with drugs for starters!
“Who is asking these hard questions, and who is going to come up with decisions, with policies, with acts, with plans, with legislation that is going to fix some of these things?”
Fiji as a country, he warned, would look worse in the future if issues affecting students and children were not looked at.
“We will look worse if we don’t raise it now. It’s already getting late, so we need some moral awakening. We need to boost our moral conscience.”
What Mr Singh outlines here isn’t something new at all. He is just telling it like it is! And there’s no holding back.
He makes sense!
Even if we struggle to appreciate what he means, it isn’t difficult to understand where he is coming from because many parents are actually seeing major challenges their children are facing now.
The next question is whether we have the political will to make a difference.
Are we willing to bite the bullet and say enough is enough?
And are we ready to change mindsets!
Let’s face it, Mr Singh’s message, even though it may prick nerves in some quarters, offers us a reality check about our lives.
So we can continue down the path we have chosen, or we can prioritise the wellbeing of our children, focusing on moral development. Are we ready to invest time, energy and resources, for the sake of our children?
Remember, we can shift or change the mindset of a nation!
