Sunday, April 22, 2018

Can this nation and these families nurture talent?

By John Ndunguru
ABOUT a couple of years back, I was walking past a University campus and a girl, obviously a student, approached me. I thought maybe it was someone I knew but I couldn’t place her. She was may be in her early twenties and quite good looking. After the greeting, she said, “Mzee, samahani, naomba unisaidie nauli ya kurudia hostel.” Fortunately, I had something in my pockets and I gave her something with a bit to spare.

As I left her a lot of questions went through my head. As a man, that had been an opportunity; Someone else with faster shooting skills would have offered to take her to the hostel in his car, may be a dinner and offers of further and more sustainable help… I asked myself how stressful education would be for this girl if she had problems on life sustenance itself and there are very many students, both boys and girls in this predicament.
Would they be able to perform at their peak of ability or would they ever stretch the envelopes of their particular fields of study? To come up with new ideas and theories those that would originate from their own thinking? It is very unlikely. Some months before the Facebook data fiasco, I had been watching a documentary about Bill Gates and The late Steve Jobs. As we all know these are the people that founded Microsoft and Apple, the giant computer corporations.
They made so much money that they need advisers on how to use it. But money on one side they brought in ideas that changed the world. The thing I noticed is that these men grew up as kids in middle class families. I do not know about Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, but I know for sure that a certain environment must have prevailed to allow the germination and implementation of these great ideas, either at home or at the university… If we go back in History and say we look at Sir Isaac Newton.
If the man had been njaa kali, he would have been interested in eating the apple that fell on him rather than contemplating the why of it. In fact he wouldn’t have been relaxing under the apple tree, he would have been busy chasing money for sustenance. The Galileos and da Vincis were people in positions whereby deep contemplation and thought was possible. In my opinion Bill gates and Steve Jobs would not have made it if they had to sell mitumba or do vibarua to make ends meet. Their families provided an enabling environment…
In some cases the great nobel prize winners in science were facilitated by the enabling environment of their respective institutions. Some countries like South Korea made deliberate efforts to create Institutes of science and technology to facilitate environments were the best brains in the country were nurtured to solve economic and scientific problems of their respective countries. These countries made very fast progress in science and technology because the environment deliberately created was designed to free the intellectual scientists and engineers minds to focus on higher results rather than chasing their next meal…
Should a man with a PhD in electronics also be involved in kufuga kuku? Or have a stationery kiosk on the side selling exercise books to primary school children? I have been a bit biased in science and technology but we need to take care of our most gifted brains in the country; the problem is do we even know them? Is there a measure? Can we acknowledge their contributions? If President JPM had not formally acknowledged the man who discovered Tanzanite just recently, the man would be condemned to an obscure old age and death, probably by poverty. It is happening to many Tanzanians in different fields.
It is our curse not to acknowledge the truly useful and capable individuals… We had shule za vipaji maalum. I’m not sure if they are still there. May be we need to reintroduce and may be strengthen them. What are the criteria for offering scholarships offered to our Universities and Universities abroad? Uwezo wa mzazi tu? Uwezo wa mwanafunzi? Can we have active and productive Institutions for science and technology to prepare ourselves for the future? Is it no wonder then, that any ‘able bodied’ man is moving to politics?
Ministry of science and technology and the big shots in Higher Education, are you listening? jvtndunguru@yahoo.com YOUR children will grow up someday and it is important that when they do, they are well equipped to be independent, reliable and responsible adults. The moulding of this ideal adult starts now! Bringing up children is usually a rush to provide the best education, clothing, nutrition and healthcare but there are also characters that you need to instill in your child at a young age that will help them later in life. Everyday skills like doing the laundry, dish washing, cooking, gardening, and cleaning need to be learnt
. Here are a few tips that may help you teach your children to perform everyday tasks diligently and live with people peacefully. Teach them to value time. In today’s world, time is extremely important and the faster the pace of our lives the less of this priceless resource we seem to have. Your children need to learn this. You can teach your children to keep time in everyday things. For instance if you have agreed that you will go visit uncle John on Sunday afternoon,
then come Sunday afternoon, you should be on your way to Uncle John’s. No excuses lest you teach them to procrastinate and postpone. Buy your children simple watches or have a clock at home that you can all use to tell the time so that they can be punctual. Next to punctuality, have a plan. A plan could be daily, weekly, monthly or even yearly. A daily schedule for instance would include the time your child gets up, meal times, time for reading, play, prayer and chores. Having a clear schedule at least for the important tasks will encourage your child to be responsible
. Remember that most successful people have plans that they follow through. Instill that in your young one. House Chores. Rule number one should be ‘no couch potatoes’! If your children watch TV or play video games from the moment they wake up to the moment they say goodnight, it’s time for a few reforms around the house. Teach them how to do house chores starting with the basic and simple stuff. When it comes to laundry for instance, teach them how to wash their underwear, handkerchiefs, socks then gradually to wash the rest of their clothes and eventually things like curtains, bed sheets etc.
Everyone should take turns at doing the dishes, cooking, cleaning; be it a boy or a girl. After all, they all live in the same house, right? Teach them how to care for themselves in the way that you would care for them because someday they will have to take care of themselves and their families. Instill in them that money doesn’t fall from the sky. Children need to learn early on that money is earned through hard work. No matter how well off you are, your children need to learn how to work for their own money; otherwise,
how will they know its worth? No, we do not support child labour but they can earn pocket money from poultry keeping, growing & selling vegetables from home, making & selling treats like ice-creams and popcorn; the list is endless. Teach your children to spend wisely, have a budget and most importantly, to save. Doing so will help them not to be over-dependent on you especially after they’ve finished school. Another important skill you can impart on your children is choosing ones words carefully. Your children will need to learn that they way they speak to their siblings and peers should be different from how they speak to adults.
They should learn that words have the power to heal and hurt and once spoken, they cannot be taken back. They should learn that one can express themselves without outright cursing. The best way of instilling all this is by setting a good example. If you use a lot of curse words, control your tongue especially when the young ones are around otherwise you will soon hear them cursing as well.
That words can make or break even the strongest relationships is one of the most important lessons you will ever teach your children– be a good example. ● For comments and/or inquires please call 116 National Child Helpline. This is a toll free service available across all networks in Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar. Facebook: Sema Tanzania; Twitter: @SemaTanzania or visit our website: www.sematanzania.org Teaching children simple life skills Nanenane to open more investment

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