‘Malnutrition, social disruption hinder child development’
Malnutrition and other socio-economic factors have resulted in thousands of children, especially in the rural areas, and the lower-income strata of society, being confronted with insurmountable challenges, former Sindh education minister and Sindh Educational Foundation (SEF) managing director (MD) Anita Ghulam Ali said Tuesday. She was the chief guest at the launch of a book titled “Early childhood development: from understanding to initiatives.” The book was published by the Oxford University Press (OUP) and had been edited by Dr Bilal Iqbal Avan.
Ali said that skin disorders and other physical disabilities were a common occurrence among children from the lower-income strata, especially in the rural areas. These disorders, she said, were a result of malnutrition.
Among social factors, Ali said, rampant tribal wars, the atrocities of the feudal lords, the blanket maltreatment of the less fortunate by the police, and other societal factors had their own pernicious part to play in child development, or the lack of it. She said that this was particularly true of rural Sindh.
The SEF MD also elaborated on the role of society in contributing to the development–or retardation–of an individual’s personality, and stressed that no group should be marginalised on account of its low financial status or lack of education. Every individual should get the share of respect due him or her as a human being.
In this context, she highlighted services rendered by the SEF in the fields of child and human development. Ali said that the organisation focused on producing teachers’ guides and awareness programmes for undertaking sustainable child development wherein the stress was on maternal and child health.
Dr Bilal Avan, an epidemiologist and public health specialist presently associated with the Human Development Programme of the Aga Khan University (AKU), said that early childhood experiences had significant effects on an individual’s mind and body. He said that while poverty had its own part to play in the refracted development of the human being, another important contributory factor was the lack of educational skills and opportunities.
A critical factor, he said, was the relation between the community and child development.
Mrs Hilda Saeed, a noted figure in NGO circles, and a prominent journalist, said that children were the most precious asset parents and society could ever think of. She said children attained positive growth if, alongside proper nutrition, they also got love and understanding from both parents and teachers. Forty-five percent of the nation, she said, comprised of children under 15, a fact, which she said, brought home the indispensable need for significant attention.
AKU Human Development Director Dr Ghazala Rafiquespoke about the book and said that it highlighted the social development of the child through interaction, something that was indispensable. Parents, she said were finding it harder and harder to support the educational development of the child given various socio-economic factors.
OUP (Pakistan) Managing Director Mrs Ameena Saiyid had earlier delivered the welcome address and said that in order to become useful members of society, children needed to be carefully nurtured. Their physical, mental, emotional, and social development was of utmost importance and all these factors should be tackled simultaneously as ignoring even one of them could affect the others. Dr Camer Vellani, Distinguished Professor, Aga Khan University, presented the vote of thanks.
Source: The News
Date:4/2/2008
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