Izinselele Omama Ababhekana Nazo
“Imisebenzi ephathelene nekhaya iyimisebenzi eyisisekelo yabantu. . . . Uma umama engawenzi umsebenzi wakhe, ngeke sibe khona isizukulwane esilandelayo, noma esiyolandela siyoba sibi kangangokuba kuze kube ngcono ukuba singabikho nhlobo.”—UTheodore Roosevelt, umongameli wama-26 wase-United States.
KUSOBALA-KE ukuthi umama ubaluleke kakhulu ekuphileni kwabantu, kodwa indima yakhe ihilela okungaphezulu kakhulu kokuthola nje abantwana. Mayelana nendima yomama ezingxenyeni eziningi zomhlaba namuhla, omunye umlobi waphawula: “Umama ungumvikeli oyinhloko ukuze ingane ngayinye ibe nempilo, ithole imfundo, ibe nengqondo ekhaliphile, ibe nobuntu obuhle nezimfanelo ezinhle kanye nemizwelo ezinzile.”
Omunye wemisebenzi eminingi yomama ukufundisa izingane zabo. Ngokuvamile amagama okuqala ingane ewashoyo nendlela ewabeka ngayo iwafunda kunina. Ngenxa yalokho, ulimi lomdabu umuntu alukhulumayo kuye kuthiwe waluncela ebeleni. Umama ngokuvamile uchitha isikhathi esiningi kakhulu nezingane usuku ngalunye kunobaba, ngakho umama angase abe umfundisi nomqeqeshi wazo oyinhloko. Khona-ke, isaga saseMexico esithi “Imfundo incelwa ebeleni” sikuchaza kahle ukubaluleka kwendima yomama.
UMdali wethu, uJehova uNkulunkulu, naye uyabazisa omama. Empeleni, omunye weMiyalo Eyishumi, eyalotshwa ezibhebheni zamatshe “ngomunwe kaNkulunkulu,” uyala izingane: “Hlonipha uyihlo nonyoko.” (Eksodusi 20:12; 31:18; Duteronomi 9:10) Ngaphezu kwalokho, isaga seBhayibheli sikhuluma ‘ngomthetho kanyoko.’ (IzAga 1:8) Ukubaluleka kokufundisa izingane eminyakeni yokuqala emithathu yokuphila kwazo—lapho ngokuvamile zisanakekelwa onina—sekuqashelwa kabanzi manje.
Iziphi Ezinye Zezinselele Ababhekene Nazo?
Okwenza omama abaningi bakuthole kuyinselele ukufundisa izingane zabo eminyakeni yazo ebalulekile yokukhula ingcindezi yokuba bayofuna umsebenzi ukuze basize ekunakekeleni umkhaya. Izibalo ezatholwa yiZizwe Ezihlangene zibonisa ukuthi emazweni amaningi athuthukile, omama abangaphezu kwengxenye kulabo abanezingane ezineminyaka engaphansi kwemithathu bayasebenza.
Ngaphezu kwalokho, omama ngokuvamile bathwala umthwalo wokukhulisa izingane bebodwa ngoba abayeni babo bayahamba ekhaya beyofuna umsebenzi kwelinye idolobha noma kwelinye izwe. Ngokwesibonelo, kubikwa ukuthi kwezinye izindawo zase-Armenia, cishe ingxenye eyodwa kwezintathu zamadoda iye yaya kwamanye amazwe iyofuna umsebenzi. Abanye omama balahlwa abayeni babo noma bashone bese besala bodwa nomthwalo wokukhulisa izingane.
Kwamanye amazwe enye inselele yomama abaningi ukuthi bona ngokwabo abafundile. I-UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs isikisela ukuthi abesifazane abangafundile bayizingxenye ezimbili kwezintathu zabantu abayizigidi ezingu-876 abangafundile emhlabeni wonke. Empeleni, ngokwenhlangano okuthiwa yi-UNESCO amaphesenti angaphezu kwangu-60 abesifazane awafundile e-Afrika, emazweni ama-Arabhu, naseMpumalanga kanye naseNingizimu Asia. Ngaphezu kwalokho, amadoda amaningi kakhulu acabanga ukuthi akudingekile ukufundisa abesifazane aze asho nokusho ukuthi ukubafundisa kubenza bangayifanelekeli indima yabo yokuthola abantwana.
Umagazini i-Outlook uthi kwesinye isifunda saseKerala eNdiya, lapho amantombazane ngokuvamile eba omama eneminyaka engu-15 nje ubudala, akekho ofuna inkosikazi efundile. EPakistan engumakhelwane, izingane zabafana zibhekwa njengezibalulekile. Indlela ezikhuliswa ngayo izilungiselela ukuba zikwazi ukuthola imisebenzi eziholela kahle ukuze zikwazi ukondla abazali lapho sebegugile. Kodwa, ngokwencwadi ethi Women’s Education in Developing Countries, “abazali abayichithi imali yabo ezinganeni zabo zamantombazane ngoba akulindelekile ukuba zisize umkhaya ngemali.”
Kanti kukhona nenye inselele yokubhekana namasiko endawo. Ngokwesibonelo, kwamanye amazwe umama kulindeleke ukuba asekele amasiko anjengokudayisa amadodakazi akhe ngokuwashadisa esemancane nokucwiywa kwezitho zobulili zabesifazane. Futhi omama abavunyelwe neze ukufundisa nokuqeqesha izingane zabo zabafana. Ingabe omama baphoqekile ukuba bawalandele la masiko futhi bakushiyele kwabanye abantu ukufundiswa kwamadodana abo?
Ezihlokweni ezilandelayo, sizobona ukuthi abanye omama bazinqoba kanjani lezi zinselele. Sizozama nokubaqonda kakhudlwana omama nendima yabo, sithole nombono onokulinganisela ngendima yomama njengabafundisi bezingane zabo.
[Ibhokisi/Isithombe ekhasini 12]
“Uma kuziwa endabeni yokusiza ingane ukuba isebenzise ingqondo yayo nokuyenza ifune ukwazi ngezinto eziyizungezile, kanye nokuthuthukisa amakhono ayo okusungula izinto, indima kamama ibaluleke kakhulu.”—I-Regional Summit on Children’s Rights, eBurkina Faso, ngo-1997.
[Izithombe ekhasini 11]
Omama banendima enkulu maqondana nempilo yengane ngayinye, imfundo yayo, ubuntu bayo nemizwelo yayo ezinzile