Just days after Barkatullah University vice-chancellor D C Gupta announced to start a crash course in ‘How to become sanskari bahu’, Women and Child Development (WCD) minister Archana Chitnis has come up with the idea of a launching a course in parenting. The minister, in a workshop held at WCD’s office here on Tuesday, announced that a course in ‘Better Parenting’ would be launched.
Addressing the workshop, the minister said that the new generation is very career conscious and doesn’t know much about parenting. This is one of the main reasons that is affecting proper nurturing and upbringing of children, she added. “The state government will introduce a course to provide correct knowledge on parenting skills and nurturing. This course will be meant for students, parents, families as well as social groups and other organizations,” said Chitnis.
She said that child’s welfare has been considered as paramount in family and the society. To start the process government is inviting suggestions from common people and experts. Interested persons can send their suggestions related to course on parenting skills and nurturing on www.mpwcdmis.gov.in. The workshop also discussed about parenting and the role of schools and teachers. The experts present in the workshop stressed on spending more time with children, which seems difficult in present scenario.
Suggesting ways on how to spend time with children, an expert said that one should decide that family should have breakfast and dinner together. Traveling and spending weekends and holidays together is a good idea of building strong bonds among family members. Chitnis said that time has come to recognise that parenting is a skill and that the generation Z needs to get acquainted with this skill. A specific training module will be developed with the help of subject experts, she added. The next workshop on this subject will be conducted on October 01.
Women and child development, principal secretary, JN Kansotiya, commissioner Ashok Kumar Bhargava, psychologists, sociologists, nutrition experts, officers of the school education, higher education and women and child development department as well as representatives of the voluntary organizations will remain present to give the course a preliminary shape.
Material on parenting will be developed in Hindi and English languages and will be made available in public domain for all. The developed course will be included in the training module of aaganwadis as well as for the entire staff of the women and child development department and schools. Moreover, a letter will be written to the skill development council to accept parenting in the form of a skill.
