Parents urged to educate children early

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By SHARLYNE ERI
FOUNDER of the Buk Bilong Pikinini Anne Sophie Hermann said parents must understand that 85 per cent of brain development is effective during the first five years of a child’s life.
She said research showed that in a family, only the mother read stories to the children.
Hermann said brain development needed a balanced support from both parents – to ensure a successful childhood education.
As part of the Literacy Week celebrations, she initiated a Dads Read Event for fathers of students attending the learning centres in Port Moresby.
“Dads actually play a very important part in role-modelling in terms of education,” she said.
“So we said let’s get some dads here and give them the tools to be able to read to their children.”
Papua New Guinea’s swimming sensation Ryan Pini and the SP Hunters also attended the event as a way of supporting the event theme: Literacy is everyone’s business.
Pini, who attended on behalf of the major sponsors of the learning centres, Bank of South Pacific and Theodist, said he also attended the event as a father.
“This event is also important for me because I’ve got a one-year-old who is also starting to read,” Pini said.