EFL Home

Education

The school is an institution specially and purposely designed for consciously educating the child. For this reason when we think of education our mind goes at once to the school and the importance of the role played by other agencies tends to be minimized. Some parents go so far as to leave the discipline of the child entirely to the school; so that when the child offends at home he is reported to his teacher for correction. This is a wrong view of the duty of the school. It is true to say that the parents employ the teacher as a specialist to educate their child, just as they might employ an architect to build their house. Even so, parents still have their part to play if the educational "house" is to be strongly and beautifully built.
It is the duty of parents to send their children to school punctually and regularly and see that they are clean, well fed and provided with the various materials needed for school work. It is also the duty of the home to continue the work of the school by enabling the child to prepare whatever needs to be prepared for the school. Parents and teachers ought to meet occasionally and compare the progress of child's work.
Since one of our aims of education is to help the child to live a full and happy life as a child, a good school will naturally help him to be a good member of his family; thus the home and the school should cooperate for the benefit of the child. But wherever these two compete for the services or loyalty of the child, or where both compete for the services or loyalty of the child who suffers.
From one point of view, the education of the child is assumed by the school as an agent of the parents. But it is now generally recognized that it is the duty of the state as an organ of the present generation to give every opportunity for education to the child so that he may progress from kindergarten school as far as the university if he has the necessary talents.

(From a West African Teacher's Handbook by S.A. Banjo)