Parenting training in Kerala, a good start

Most parents in our society yearn for the academic success of their children and thus inadvertently push many innocent children into academic incarceration. It has now reached a stage where training is required for parents on how to raise their children suited to newer times. Anticipating this, the State General Education Department has come forward to provide parenting training to parents from this academic year. It is quite welcome that it has been decided to conduct the training program once a term through PTAs. The aim is to address drug abuse, suicidal tendencies, violence, and academic backwardness among children.

For this, a committee consisting of experts in the fields of education, psychology, law and digital, headed by Professor Dr Arun B. Nair, Department of Psychiatry, Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, was formed, and a parent education module prepared. Parents will be trained to discipline and encourage children through psychological principles without physically harming them. The training will be provided to parents of children in high school and higher secondary classes. Emotional conflicts often arise when parents try to control the current generation by comparing them with their childhood.

Parents should try to understand their children's interests and ways of thinking without trying to keep them in line. This is not a generation that bows down in fear over cane treatment. They like to see their parents act as friends rather than imposing a haughty attitude. However, parents also have the responsibility to make their children understand the ups and downs of life and to develop the willpower to face crises. Parents generally are known to command their children to study all the time. This practice seldom bears fruit in today’s age.

Another case is the drug menace in schools, often involving minor students. The training to be given to parents will be useful in raising children with love and freedom, along with discipline, and in making them aware of healthy personal relationships. Handbooks have also been prepared for parents of children from pre-primary to higher secondary levels as per the revised curriculum. Public Education Minister V. Sivankutty has said that special PTA meetings will be convened to provide training based on this. The State Committee for Educational Research and Training (SCERT) is taking the helm of the parenting training. It is expected that this parenting training will be helpful in bringing about a big change in the academic and personal lives of children.