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However this improved technology consumes a lot of time and it is essential that priorities are made right with regard to the time that one spends on the Internet or for watching TV. The irony of improved Communication technology is that often people spend a lot of time viewing or obtaining information on celebrities or events at the cost of more important things to do at home or at work.
As a result people often know about the doings of many Presidents around the world or of many celebrities, many of whom are arrogant and behave disrespectfully to the public at large. The irony is that while many of us know of the private lives of individuals residing hundreds of miles away and who don't really matter to us, we are in the dark on the needs and activities of those who live with us, our families.
Of course, we want our children to be disciplined, educated, smart and God-fearing citizens of this country so that they can be valuable members of our community who can help to propagate Islam further in the years to come while at the same also being involved in community work to enhance the welfare, health and general well-being of community members world-wide and to also be involved in the development of the country they reside in. However have we enough time to spare to give elementary lessons of discipline to them or to know how they spend their time or to analyse what grades they achieve in school or the Madressa?
Man has today become busier than the bee, the strains and stresses of life have increased, the cares and worries have multiplied. Political, social and economic activities sap every bit of energy from an individual thereby leaving little time to care or spend with the children and the family. Moroeover the pursuit of materialism has become the vocation and avocation of the common man who is enchanted by the glitter of gold but fails to envisage that not all that glitters is gold.
It's not that life should be knitted to a work-family-work approach. What is required from parents is little time to ensure that their offspring are approaching life in a correct manner. This may mean keeping track on their language, their performance in school or madressa, punctuality, homework assistance, performance in sports, religion, eating habits, health, recreation, holiday needs and the like.
All this does not require a lot of time. A few minutes each day is enough and very often one can know more about one's child over dinner discussions, that is if dinner is not taken at the same time as watching television. Understandably, after a hard day's work, parents require to relax but is not conversation or time with one's children or family a form of relaxation? If one needs to watch constructive programmes or sports matches on television this can be done after the children go to bed or by re-scheduling time accordingly.
The parent-child relationship is a crucial phase of life and the sad thing is that we take our children for granted, berate at them unnecessarily because we know they have no means to retort, that is, until they become teenagers when we suddenly come face to face with a situation where years have elapsed and it is then too late to make amends or to provide them crucial guidance.
It is for this reason that I also have reservations on the five-day week Madressa system. The important and exemplary work conducted by our Madressas is well known but to enable children to spend more time with their families and to ensure they have adequate time to do their school homework, the Madress syllabus ought to be reduced to span over fewer hours as is done in most Western Country Jamats. This is possible with a more concise and down to earth syllabus which covers essential teaching material. Moreover the madressa syllabus can be spread out and and be included in the syllabus of our schools while for non-communal schools, which generally have optional subjects, a request can be made to introduce classes for our youths.
Educational reformers are convinced that students who do more homework perform better in school, even after accounting for differences of ability and background. In life, one cannot exhaust one's energies in one direction and yet reserve them unimpaired for something else. Similarly for our children, burning the candle at both ends will exhaust their energies and hamper their progress while also limiting the time spent with their akin at home.
For the parents, being involved with their children need not stop them from indulging in after-work sporting or other social activities which can be approached with extra confidence when things at home are adequately taken care of. Then, is it not paradoxical that many of us know more about the lives of celebrities like the World Cup footballers or cricketers while we are in the dark about the doings and progress of those near us, our own family who remain so near but yet are so far.