The role of parents in education

Abstract

My first wish when choosing a subject for my dissertation was to deal with some aspect of education. And finally, I settled for the title, The Role of Parents in Education. At first, it seemed as if very little was written on the subject and I was rather put off and unhappy about choosing this title, but little by little, with the help of others, searching in the nooks and crannies of various libraries I managed to put together some relevant ideas on the subject. The next step was to try and set out a possible plan and fit in all the ideas together, and this indeed was no easy task. The initial step was to establish the meaning of Education for a Christian~ reaching the conclusion that to know and love. God is the only true aim of Christian Education. This is the basic content of the First Chapter. Then I thought it important, to establish the position of the parents in the educative process, and here the conclusion is that though the parents and the family as a whole, require the help of other societies outside, it as are the State and the Church, yet the family still remains primarily responsible. After this, I thought it important to examine the structure of the family today, a different structure from what it was in the past. Hence, because, its structure has changed, its role has changed too. The educative task of the family, in an almost completely secularized world, in which we live today, is indeed not easy. This sets the background to the final chapters, which deal with the action of transmission of faith and education. The final chapters, divided into various sections, answer these questions: How can parents pass on the Faith? How can they mould the characters of their children while allowing them to encounter God personally? Finally there is some practical material on the upbringing of children, as an aid to parents who wish to educate their children by preparing them for true Christian living.