The place of early childhood training (Proverbs 22:6) in building sustainable Nigerian future

Abstract

The task of training a child is imperative (Proverbs 22:6) and its importance in building sustainable future for a nation cannot be over-emphasised because, as the Yoruba say, a child that is not built (trained) will sell the house built by the parent(s). However, it has been observed that most parents, nowadays, due to economic hardship and the search for better economic opportunities had little or no time for their children's upbringing. Many parents have therefore abandoned their responsibility of providing guidance to their children in the pursuit of wealth. Consequently, many parents now take their children to childcare, as early as two months, denying them the natural touch of the mother and exposing them to strange companions at day care centres or with surrogate mothers. This no doubt threatens early childhood training which is considered the most important phase of life that determines the quality of health, well-being, learning and behaviour across life span, and given the destructiveness of the absent/pre-occupied-parent syndrome that plagues the home life and the prevalence moral decadence in Nigerian society, this paper examines the place of early childhood training in building sustainable Nigerian future. Historical-critical method is adopted and relevant books and articles on the subject matter are critically examined. As part of the findings of this research paper, building sustainable Nigerian future is going to be an illusion without proper and effective early childhood training. It is therefore recommended that structures for proper and effective early childhood training be put in place by all stakeholders, that is, parents, government and schools.