Deputy Premier of Nevis the Hon. Hensley Daniel expressed the need for persons to spend time to build the character and personality of children. He said the exercise would result in the judgement of children by content of their character rather than the quality of their cloths.
Mr. Daniel’s statement came while he delivered an address on Friday June 1, 2007 to herald the opening of Child Month activities on Nevis which runs from June 1-30, 2007. This year’s activities are being celebrated under the theme Make the World fit for Children: Every Child Matters.
“The celebrations this year are held against a backdrop of sliding morals and ethical standards and a penchant for violence among children. It behoves all teachers, parents and guardians to pause and spend some time inculcating the values of discipline, respect, love, caring, sharing and tolerance. It seems that without constant teaching of these values, the world will not be fit for children,” he said.
Mr. Daniel noted that the month-long celebration was a good opportunity for all who were entrusted with the care of children to be mindful that once children succeeded the society succeeded but when they failed the society would fail.
He contended that sacrifice remained a key ingredient in the quest to make the world fit for children and listed a number of critical areas in which it was required.
“It may mean giving up a higher paying job in order to care for the children and give them the best start. It may mean spending less on clothes and more on books. It may mean making a financial sacrifice to pay for them to attend extra classes. It may mean ending (intimate) relationships with adults in order to be good examples for children,” he said.
The Deputy Premier also used the opportunity to impress the importance of nurturing a culture of reading among preschoolers, because it was one certain way to make the world fit for children.
He called on parents to purchase books for their children during Child Month and to reorganise their spending patterns to reflect a greater investment in education. He expressed the view that an investment in a child’s education at an early age would enable one to reap social and economic benefits sooner rather than later.
“I hope the teachers and parents will find the strength and courage to ensure that no child is left behind. I hope that your programmes such as the Toy Lending Library, Reaching Children Wherever They Are (RCWTA) and Reaching the Unreached (RTU) can be expanded as we go forward to ensure that the world is made fit for children,” he said.
Child Month activities targeted children at the nursery, preschool and daycare levels which are coordinated by the Education Department on Nevis through Education Officer with responsibility for Early Childhood Ms. Florence Moving
