Accra, July 25, GNA - Mrs Demay Alabi, a media consultant has suggested the need for partnership among parents, teachers and society to bring up children in ways that would enable them to become useful citizens in future. "Since children now spend more hours in school than they do with their parents, their upbringing should be a collective responsibility for parents, teachers and society," she said. Mrs Alabi gave the suggestion on Saturday at the 22nd Graduation ceremony for 44 pupils of the Aglow Early Childhood Development Centre in Accra.

The pre-school graduates danced and recited poems. Mrs Alabi said the formative stages of children required that they got the necessary attention to build them up with the right moral and intellectual capacities. "Nursery is foundation stage for children and if they receive good training at this stage, it will make them to become better useful citizens," she said.

She advised parents not to see nursery schools or day care centres as "dumping grounds" with the hope that teachers would train them to become what they (parents) wanted them to be. She said instead, parents must be interested in the affairs of their children and not to be too obsessed with their business activities to the neglect of the welfare of their offspring. Mrs Alabi said children needed only love and care to enable them to grow well and become respectable citizens. Mrs Mercy Kwakyi, Proprietress of the centre said the school offered the best of care and education for children. She said the school's periodic training for staff coupled with modern facilities made the children to develop their full potential. The centre, which was established in 1987 currently, has a 225 pupil population. 25 July 09