Social Institutions and Childhood:
Although there are multiple social institutions to which children are exposed during their childhood, family and schools play a central role in today’s society.
Family:
Traditionally and naturally the family is the primary context where children experience the emotional and physical care and sustenance vital to their well-being. There is strong evidence which shows that children are shaped by the world around them. For children under 8 years of age, depriving them of a loving family environment causes lasting damage to their intelligence, emotional wellbeing and even their physical stature.
The key questions that were raised during the symposium were:
Has the role of family in the upbringing of children degenerated in the last few decades?
What are some core values that need to be imparted by the family for the intellectual, social, moral and emotional development of children?
According to Prof. Anita Ghulam Ali and Ms. Amina Saiyid of the Oxford University Press (OUP), there has to be an element of respect for the dignity of each family member irrespective of the age and status of the family members, resulting in them doing things for each other out of respect and love rather than out of fear and also resulting in the freedom for individual growth. Ms. Fatima Suriya Bajia and Mr. Ramiz Allahwala expressed that nurturing families avoid physically or verbally abusing children and also have open and strong communication links. There is, hence, a strong need for discussion and discourse within the family. Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Moinuddin Haider clarified that in nurturing families rules tend to be made explicit and remain consistent, but with some flexibility to adapt to individual needs and particular situations. Dr. Aneela Amber Malik stated that nurturing families are not perfect; they may have quarrels, misunderstandings, tensions, hurt, and anger - but not all the time. Dr. Malik along with Ms. Zubeida Dossal concluded by stating that in nurturing families everyone makes mistakes; mistakes are allowed. Perfection is unattainable, unrealistic, and potentially dull and sterile.
Schools:
Many of us all over Pakistan are concerned about how much damage schooling is doing to our children, the burden and stress it is putting on them, and the need for radical change in the current pattern of education. Yet, ignoring our common sense, we accept the physical, psychological and spiritual tortures inflicted daily on our children - rationalizing this for the ‘good of the Nation’ or for their ‘future career’. We ignore the fact that in the daily routine of schools, which is obsessed with examinations and evaluations, a child’s innate capacities have no opportunity to find expression. School’s schedules leave little or no time for carefree exploration, play or just a chance for children to enjoy simple pleasures of childhood.
There were many thought-provoking questions for the audience:
What learning spaces and opportunities do children lose when they are forced to attend schools? Can they be re-created for children?
How do we undo the damage already done to our children by the present culture of schooling?
Mr. Wasif Rizvi explained that unless children’s innate natural abilities are understood and respected there cannot be any learning. He stressed that schools must be turned around to respond to the diverse learning styles and particular interests of children. Prof. Abbas Hussain, Ms. Yasmin Bano, Dr. Jan Visser and Ms. Wendy Griffin were of the view that we must immediately seize to believe that outside school learning is useless and school is the only place where learning takes place. They clarified that most learning actually happens without proper instructions or guidance. They launched a powerful critique that all children cannot be taught in the same way following certain teaching methods and that best learning opportunities are possible when there are multiple age groups in the learning environment i.e. intergenerational learning.
