Parents urged to support teachers

PARENTS and the community have been urged to support the work of teachers by properly educating children at home before sending them school.
Teaching Service Commission (TSC) chairman Michael Pearson made this call in a media statement to The National this week.
“It is our constitutional duty as parents to see our most valuable possessions, our children, properly trained at home by ensuring our children know proper behaviour and manners before they are sent to school.
“This way we assist our teachers educate our children firstly at home and taking some responsibilities off their shoulders,” he said.
Mr Pearson said this when acknowledging teachers for their contribution in providing education throughout the country when commemorating the International Teachers’ Day which falls on Oct 5 every year.
“Teachers play a leading role in giving students knowledge, attitudes and values that help them understand the world and become agents of change,” he said.
Mr Pearson made special mention about elementary teachers being paid a subsistence salary by the Government and parents were expected to provide “in kind” to help teachers within the communities.
With the theme: “Build our future: Invest in teachers now” Mr Pearson said the theme reminded everyone to invest in teachers by looking after them, and in, turn they provide the best education for the children.
“We, at TSC, will continue to do our best in every way possible to assist our 40,000-plus teachers to ensure they deliver education to our children,” he said.
He acknowledged those teachers who had given their lives up to provide education and had died in their line of duty by bringing education to schools where there were no doctors and other vital services.
“Even though they did not have these needed services, they kept on and have deposited so much and I thank particularly those teachers who have served faithfully for many years.”