This article was published in The Citizen Newspaper – Tanzania on 18th June, 2024.
This time of the year is a rich coincidence of a good number of advocacy events and programmes aimed at uplifting children.
Among the key global celebrations for this month are World Environment Day, World Oceans Day, World Day against Child Labour, International Day of the African Child, Father’s Day, World Day to combat Desertification and Drought, World Refugee Day, and World music Day.
From the thematic focus of these global initiatives we see that each tackles a certain problem with the goal of ending it and sustaining the less-prevalent good. In that regard, our times call for growth. Unless changes are made, growth will be a mere quiet whisper which does not materialize.
The international days highlighted above, all of which fall on this month coincide nicely to give us a picture, as I see it, of how the society can prepare the young for the future with advocacy for such key areas as caring for nature, standing for justice, gratitude, societal hospitability, and a check on entertainment, if we were to swap words.
For these issues to make sense they have to be contextualized in our education and learning, even in informal learning.
Given the ever-stretching magnitude of these problems, and the obvious incapability of offering functionally effective individual solutions, joining hands in making the most out of our system of learning will do us good.
The theme of the International Day of the African Child has the target nicely put: “Education for all Children in Africa: The Time is Now.”
Our young people are in a global competition with their peers in many aspects of life. These include most specifically education and learning which solves problems. Gone are the days of memorizing and bringing out what is remembered.
Today the world appreciates, regardless of age and origins, the capacity to be innovative and effective in addressing the actual problems of the society now.
Coming from “Africa” is not an excuse for being of poor quality or performing below the expected standards.
We are not to feed the media and popular narrative of Africa as a broken place, full of corruption, barbarism and without any potential for growth and progress. Our society does not prepare our young people to be proofs of backwardness and public victims of their history as oppressed people.
Hi i think that i saw you visited my web site thus i came to Return the favore Im attempting to find things to enhance my siteI suppose its ok to use a few of your ideas.
Hi, it’s a pleasure. You are welcome.