Many mothers no longer have time for their children —Oyenuga

Mosunmola Oyenuga is an educationist and the proprietress of Amazing International School, Ibadan, Oyo State. In this interview by TAYO GESINDE, she says schools are being forced to play the roles parents should play to their children. Excerpts:

What informed your choice of career?

It’s so funny that I find myself where I am today. I think it is the will of God that I should be a teacher because I would have loved to be a nurse but somehow, due to lack of enlightenment, I found myself attending the grade 2 teachers training college, it was from there I went through all the stages of becoming a teacher and I can assure you it has been a wonderful experience. Today,  I have no regret  being a teacher.

When did you start as a teacher what were the challenges you faced?

I started teaching in 1978, before I got married; at the primary school level. I had to put in all my time because I was made a house mistress. Since I was single, I had all the time and it was interesting moulding lives and seeing children grow. But it became more challenging when I left the primary school after my NCE programme when I was posted to a secondary school where I saw teaching from another perspective. Though it was challenging because I was dealing with young adults but it wasn’t beyond what one could handle. The interesting thing about the teaching profession is that it makes you to be part of the growth of your own children. You are able to get involved with their academics because you know what it entails and even if it is a subject you don’t really know much about, you have colleagues that could assist.

How easy was it to combine your career with the home front?

Compared with other profession, it is very easy because your timing and your children’s timing are the same. Having a career and being married with children demands much efforts from the woman involved.  We teachers, because of the nature of our profession find it easier to combine the two compared to other professions but at the same time, as a career woman and a mother, you have to make it work.

Can you share with us your experience as a proprietress?

It started in September 1995, the experience is challenging but interesting. We started when people’s attitude towards education was poor and the knowledge was still not there so we had to encourage them to send their children to school. But along the line, when they started sending their children to school, they wanted us to do everything for them; like feeding and helping them dress properly. Another challenge is that mothers these days don’t have time for their children. It is from the school we tell them who their children are, it is in school we assist them to do home work, it is in school we see their behavioural traits.

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So, the relationship among working mothers and their children has been a challenge to school owners because we have to do everything if we really want the children to be what we want them to be. Then another aspect is that they don’t come for their children early, there are times we have children in the school till 8pm.

What do you think is the way out?

Well, the way out is that if the grandmas are not working they can be of help. We always tell parents  that  the moment  they  bring their children to school, they should  let us know who they are so as to know where we can come in and what we can do. That is why you see that these days; most schools have after school care where they can shower for the children so they can rest before their parents come.  If not for the economy of the country, I would have adviced young mothers to stay with their children for the first 5-8 years of their lives thereafter go back to their career but how do they cope financially? That is where the problem lies.

Would you say these are the reason there is a decline in morals?

It is, though that is not the major factor. It is part of it because those days, the moment you are home there is someone waiting for you to check your work and activities for the day but now there is no one to check the child’s work so children know how to dodge responsibilities and these have effects on their education and their attitudes to life. When a child lacks love, the child’s behaviour would be different from that of his colleagues; they would withdraw and won’t be able to learn anything.

Talking about education, people are complaining that the standard of education has fallen and they are blaming teachers and government for it, what do you have to say about this?

Yes, government has its own lapses; they have not really helped us because presently we don’t have a stable curriculum; it changes from time to time.  Before the children complete learning one, there is another. And also in public schools, we don’t have competent hands as well as enough staff. In private schools where we have enough hands, the teachers can only give what they have; most of these teachers have certificates that they can’t defend. Parents are to blame because they are not on ground to assist. So, all the stakeholders are to blame.

These days we hear reports of teachers abusing their students. What do you think is responsible for this?

Sexual abuse has always been in existence but it is more pronounced now. I  remember in the mid 80s when a teacher tried to abuse a young girl that was in my daughter’s class and my daughter had to come home to tell me about it, maybe you hear such things once in a year. These days, it is becoming rampant because both teachers and children are getting more exposed. It is because those coming into the profession are not professionals; a good teacher would know that he is a moulder and shouldn’t be the one to destroy a student’s life. We also have cases of young girls enticing their teachers. It is rampant, we know but we should train our children properly and be praying for our children. Schools management should be on their heels to check their teachers.

March is known as women’s month. What do you think parents can do to empower the girl- child?

Well, we are getting there gradually; fathers are now accepting the fact their female children should go to school. We should continue to let our parents know what they can gain if they expose their girlchild to formal and right education. I want to appeal to the media to please keep on educating our people. And I want to appeal to all our non-governmental organisations (NGO) to go to the villages and educate our parents on the importance of education. Most of the time, the reason for all this is ignorance and poverty.  The government can also come up with some policies that will make education mandatory for everyone. There is no difference between a girl- child and a boy child, they are all equal.