Many Nigerian parents today have failed in their fundamental responsibility of raising their children with discipline and moral guidance.
This failure is becoming a heavy burden on schools and society at large.
When children misbehave in school, it is often a reflection of poor parenting at home. These children are frequently pampered, overindulged and permitted to behave with reckless impunity. They flout school rules, disrespect authority and show no regard for discipline.
On numerous occasions, schools report cases of indiscipline to parents with the hope that they will take corrective measures. But instead of addressing the problem, some parents defend their children, massage their egos, and indirectly encourage them to persist in their wayward behavior. They fail to understand—or worse, choose to ignore—the fact that a child’s attitude today determines their success tomorrow.
It is the duty of every parent to sit their children down regularly, counsel them, and guide them with the word of God. Parenting is not a one-time act; it is a continuous and intentional process. Children must be taught moral values, equipped with the right mindset for the future, and sensitized to the dangers of peer pressure. Peer influence is a major challenge, and only children who are properly grounded at home can withstand it.
Parents must also actively demand feedback from schools about their children’s behavior and academic performance—and be ready to accept it without being defensive or confrontational. There is only so much a school can do. As the Yoruba saying goes, “Bá mi na ọmọ mi kò dénú ọlọ́mọ”—”Help me discipline my child, but don’t punish them.” This reflects the contradictory stance many parents take: they call for discipline, yet threaten schools and teachers when corrective action is taken.
As a result, schools are now forced to adopt diplomatic approaches. Teachers provide watered-down, sugar-coated reports, simply because many parents only want to hear good news about their children. It has become so bad that when a teacher threatens to report a student to their parents, the student boldly says, “Go ahead”—without fear of consequences.
Parents must be reminded of their statutory and moral responsibilities. Teachers cannot—and should not—replace them in the task of parenting. Teachers already carry the weight of academic instruction, along with their own personal and familial responsibilities.
To support the school, the teachers and the society, Nigerian parents must rise up and be responsible.
The future of the next generation depends on it.
