Teach children English

Editorial

ENGLISH is becoming the international communication for commerce and trade, education, science, international relations and tourism.
It is the fastest growing language in the world, with more people speaking English than ever before.
Language is our primary source of communication.
It is the method through which we share our ideas and thoughts with others.
There are thousands of languages in this world.
Countries have their own national languages in addition to a variety of local languages spoken and understood by their people in different regions.
Some languages are spoken by millions of people, others by only a few thousand.
And rightfully so, Papua New Guineans should rise up to the task of speaking and writing proper English.
There is no better place for this practice but in homes.
Parents in towns and cities should raise their children well and teach them English.
The challenge is for parents to raise their children well and teach them English and this should not be taken lightly.
Our children should know English to keep up with the changing world.
School children in India and China are learning English at a staggering rate as their countries emphasise the importance of English as a ticket to participating in the global economy.
For some, learning English can be challenging and time consuming, especially for teachers in school.
To help ease that, parents should take up that responsibility of teaching our children by way of speaking to them in English so they use it correctly.
Parental involvement has a long and rich history of being studied.
Decades of studies, many of them by Diana Baumrind, a clinical and developmental psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley, have found that the optimal parent is one who is involved and responsive, who sets high expectations but respects their child’s autonomy.
Our children should know the importance of learning how to use the English language correctly, otherwise they will not be serious.
Although the English language does not have the largest number of native speakers in the world, it has the widest reach of any language spoken today.
For many people, learning English is a way to get access to a broader range of information, connections and opportunities.
The importance of English is clear.
As the school year starts, it is time for parents to take stock of how they can help their children with this challenge.
No doubt, some parents will ensure that their children use smart phones and computers in ways that will benefit them by expanding their general knowledge to enhance their education.
More importantly, parents should and must ensure that their children spend more time reading books, both fiction and non-fiction, which remain the basis of our education curriculum.
Without a well-educated and skilled population, our nation will not be able to cope with the rapid global changes that are taking place in science, technology, commerce and trade.
Therefore, we should ensure that our children get the basics right and that is to learn English and use it correctly, receive a good education from the start and books must be an essential part of that.
Some parents may need to rebalance the equation.