AIOU holds workshop on art of parenting

Islamabad:A four-day workshop titled ‘Art of Parenting’ was inaugurated at Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) on Monday, aiming to familiarise master trainers with two guides developed by the university, ‘Aghosh’ and ‘Parwarish’.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Dr. Khalid Chauhan, Director General of Research and Development at the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA), Pakistan, emphasised that Aghosh and Parwarish are crucial books for child upbringing. He encouraged master trainers to engage with the content and disseminate it to the community to realise the dream of an ideal society.

Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Raja Rashid Ali recited Amjad Islam Amjad’s poem ‘Mere Betay Ne Aankhein Ek Nayi Duniya Mein Kholi Hain’ and highlighted the increasing challenges of raising children in the modern era. He stressed the importance of parents and teachers focusing on children’s character building.

Dean of the Faculty of Education, Prof. Dr. Fazal Rahman stated that tolerance and adaptability are key qualities to instil in children to create an exemplary society. He urged the master trainers to approach this task as a mission and a national need. Senior Professor of the Faculty of Sciences, Dr. Irshad Ahmad Arshad, remarked that training parents in child upbringing is a timely initiative, and congratulated the Faculty of Education and Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Dr. Nasir Mahmood, for addressing this need.

Chairman of the Early Childhood Education Department, Dr. Muhammad Athar Hussain, explained the objectives of the workshop. He stated that master trainers will be trained on the guides, and they will, in turn, train parents and teachers in the community regarding child upbringing. After receiving community feedback, the guides will be reviewed and finalised before being presented to policymakers for implementation.

This workshop has been organised by the university in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, Aga Khan Foundation, Ministry of Human Rights, Prime Minister’s Youth Programme, and other institutions.