Today's 2nd Entry (July 18th)

Last day, I knew that the theme of the National Children’s Day (July 24th) is “Be Accountable. Take Action. Prevent Child Abuse.” This theme started in 2011 and will continue to 2013. I didn’t know this theme last Children’s day. I used to spend that day taking many pictures of children who played cricket at the independence park or who played football and basketball at the stadium.

I have worked at the Ministry of Education, and I have also seen children in Vanuatu for a year. When I walk somewhere, they often say “Hello” to me and still sometimes call me Jackie Chen although he left Vanuatu almost 3 month ago. In school, they always greet me cheerfully while waving their hands. However, I think that they can study more seriously. Unfortunately, I have an impression that many students can’t keep concentrating through a class. The length of class might be too long for them to continue to concentrate on studying.

Anyway, I’d like to state my idea concerning this theme. I think that the most important thing is that we adult should think of this theme as theme for us, not children. In the view of a Japanese teacher, we have a big responsibility of raising our own children or students. As the theme says, we have to be accountable for bring them up. I heard that some teachers at some schools come late, and then their students were ignored and they played somewhere. They might be able to enjoy while their teacher doesn’t come to their classroom. However, is it a proper education that the teachers let their students play somewhere without coming to school on time? I also heard a father goes drinking and gets home late at night after his children went to bed almost every day. Can we say that he brings up his children well as a parent? I can understand that we all want to do what we want, but we are not children. To be a parent involves strong responsibility for raise up their children as a parent and needs to sacrifice themselves for their children. I think that to educate children means to make an adult who has such an idea. If parents or teachers don’t undertake their own accountability, their children will be adults who ignore their responsibility for their grandchildren. Would you love to see your children neglect education of your grandchildren?

Therefore we adult need to take action as parents with accountability, but what should we do? I think we can do various things for children. For example, they are to increase time that parents spend with children, or to listen to their any stories. It also might be good for children that parents tells their children about their own dream when they were in childhood. At least, we should behave according to the idea what we can do for our children. It’s a basic idea. We mustn’t forget it. Also, we need to take action as a role model of our children. Do you think that your children want to follow their untidy, lazy, or empty parents’ request?

I’d like to show my idea concerning child abuse. When I was a child, I was sometimes beaten by my parents. The reasons were I bullied my younger brother or something, but they basically scolded me without any violence. I have ever been beaten, but we adult should not abuse. A child who has been brought up by violence learns to use violence to let people around them obey. As I wrote, would you love to see your grandchildren beaten by your children who were beaten by you? In addition, do you have an idea that a child is a human like you? The value of a child is as precious as the value of you. I want to ask some adults who often do chastisement whether you can think of a child as a human who is worth living like you or not. I would like you to consider it once.

Finally, I’d like to suggest that we adult have an opportunity to discuss this theme or how we should behave as a parent or a teacher. I don’t know whether such a event will be planed or not, but we, parents or teachers who are sincere in education, a father who often gets home late because of drinking kava, parents who often use violence, or a representative of the Ministry of Education should exchange their own ideas each other and increase their interest in education. I’m sure that we can learn and develop some important ideas about education through the reputation of our discussion. I hope that we adult will recognize that this theme is a message for us and review our education. I will go back to Japan in March 2013, but I hope people in Vanuatu will be able to advance this theme after 2014 as a result of elimination of child abuse.