NPTA head: Many people not trained to be parents

Black Immigrant Daily News

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In this file photo, a group of young men set fire to debris on Production Drive, Sea Lots on July 4, to protest against the police killing of two teenagers and another young man by police on July 2 in Port of Spain. – ROGER JACOB

NATIONAL Parent-Teacher Association (NPTA) president Kevin David has said many people in society are not properly trained to be parents or are financially able to take care of their children.

As a result, he believes stakeholders, including the government, churches and business sector, must come together to lend that support.

“No longer do we have that extended family to provide that support that we had in years gone by. So as a nation we need to come together to look at these things,” David told Sunday Newsday.

He was responding on Saturday to the Prime Minister’s appeal for parents to exercise greater accountability when raising their children so they can avoid a life of crime.

Rowley, who raised the issue on Friday at the opening of the St Clair Police Station, said parents must be willing to call out their children’s bad behaviour and take action before it is too late.

Reflecting on last Saturday’s incident in which three young men were killed in police-involved shootings in the capital city of Port of Spain, Rowley said it could have been prevented either through better training for the police or better parenting of the men who were confronted by the police.

National Parent-Teacher Association president Kevin David –

He said apart from constructing more police stations and providing better training for police, greater efforts will be made in addressing the root causes of crime, including why some children appear to fall into delinquency during their teenage years.

On Saturday, David supported Rowley’s appeal for parents to practise greater accountability for their children.

“It cannot be disputed that parenting plays a very critical role in a child’s development. However, we have to address some of the issues that may plague or encourage poor parenting. These are the things that we need to come together as a nation to discuss and address.”

He added, “It goes beyond just having a national consultation but rather a concerted effort by the community, business sector, even by the government in terms of providing that support in terms of information and training.”

David said in the new school term, the NPTA will look at getting that support from the national community in terms of the programmes and events it plans to roll out to support both parents and children.

Former TTUTA president Trevor Oliver said parents must not preach to their children but lead by example.

For example, he said, a mother and father should not “cuss out” each-other in front of their children when interacting.

“In fact, they shouldn’t cuss at all,” he told Sunday Newsday.

OIiver said he has always tried to do right by his three daughters.

“I dealt with them in a situation where the mother and I were very good examples and now they have very good jobs and are doing well. They never got involved in fights.

“And they were not special. They were normal children. But I think how we treated them by the example we gave, I think that is what carried them through and is still carrying them through based on what they learned from us. So parents have to be very careful because children are watching them.”

Saying he supports the Prime Minister’s call, Oliver said he has known for a very long time that parents have a critical role to play in raising children.

“And that is why the whole question of absentee fathers makes it even worse because in a lot of situations, some of the fathers are just not there. They just get involved in the child-making issue and they are not there. So there needs to be more harmony in terms of that.”

As a past teacher, principal and TTUTA head, Oliver said too many parents leave child-rearing up to teachers.

Former TUTTA president Trevor Oliver –

“But the school alone cannot do it because some children might be in school doing things that they are not supposed to be doing and therefore deal with situations in a way that leads to violence.

“The genesis of it would be with the parents. So that what the Prime Minister said is a fundamental thing. It is very important.”

Oliver said greater focus must also be placed on absentee fathers in addressing violence and delinquency among young men.

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