By Jan Vicente B. Pekas
A parent’s great desire, from what I have seen growing up, is to have the burdens carried by their children to only be that of their studies. To focus solely on their studies without any distractions and finally walk on that grand stage that they have dreamed for their child since day one. However, that has not been the case and recent developments have only added to the burden that each student carries.
Even if a child is quiet and seemingly obedient on the outside, rarely will you find a youth in the Philippines or even around the world that is without his/her own troubles inside. The arguments between parents, the disputes between family members, and the quiet tensions around the house, all of which can weigh heavy on a youth in the midst of growing up. No matter how hard a parent tries to cover it up, these are all easily noticed by the child.
Now here comes the threat of violence inside schools, stabbings and shootings, all of which have the high possibility of occurring at classrooms in the Philippines. Another set of issues that each student must carry as they try their best to focus on their studies. An already heavy baggage only got heavier when safety inside schools is no longer a sure thing but has become a risk.
Now more than ever, students face more challenges on their path of attaining a better future. Maybe for the privileged few, they can afford to fully focus on their studies. But for the majority, survival has become the main focus.
If education has been removed as the main priority for many students, then we are only asking for the repetition of the current tragedy being experienced by Filipinos. Those in power may want that more than anything else but we, the people who live in communities with children, can do something about it. Even the simple acts of teaching the young how to read can have huge impacts in the current state of our students.
Learning begins at home, for the older brothers,sisters, and cousins, we can already teach the younger of the basics or any lessons they might need additional info on. We are a communal society, we can each contribute to the journey of a child towards adulthood. We can’t rely solely on the educational system nor those in power for they have shown more things that justify distrust towards them rather than values that earn the peoples’ trust.
A society that has failed to give proper education towards their students only produces more easily manipulated adults. We have too many of these people now. We don’t need students who grow up to be like their parents, we need more who surpass them and more younger people that simply want more than what they have.**
