Message from an IPB Expert at the Asia Pacific Family Conference: Strengthening Child Rearing Requires the Involvement of the Entire Ecosystem
A child’s growth and development do not take place solely at home. The quality of care a child receives is also influenced by their surrounding environment, therefore, building parental capacity must go hand in hand with support from family, schools, the community, and the government.
IPB University Child Rearing Expert, Prof Dwi Hastuti emphasized the importance of strengthening child-rearing in a holistic and collaborative manner. She conveyed this message at the Asia Pacific Family Conference at the Cosmo Amarossa Hotel in Central Jakarta on Saturday (9/12).
“The family is a child’s first and primary school. Therefore, enhancing parents’ parenting capacity is an essential matter that must be addressed,” she said.
Parenting Requires Collaboration
Prof Dwi stated that strengthening parenting requires harmonious collaboration between fathers and mothers as well as the entire ecosystem namely, the family, schools, the community, and the government.
According to her, parenting programs can also be implemented at the community level by women’s organizations. These programs should be well planned, with supervision, monitoring, and evaluation (monev) integrated with data, supported by community volunteers and facilitators, and funded by the community itself.
Parenting programs also involve reinforcing religious and spiritual values at the family and community levels to foster noble character from an early age.
Asia Pacific Family Forum
Prof Dwi presented this idea at the Asia Pacific Family Conference organized by the Madani Family Learning Center (PBKM). The conference, themed “Family Resilience and the Progress of Countries in the Region: Strengthening the Role of Women and Consolidating Families in the Asia Pacific,” served as a platform for collaboration and the exchange of experiences.
This international conference brought together approximately 200 participants from six countries, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Thailand, Singapore, and Sri Lanka. This forum brought together a diverse range of stakeholders, including community members, civil society organizations, advocates, academics, researchers, policymakers, religious leaders, education practitioners, children, and families.
Dr Aan Rohanah, Chairperson of the Madani Family Learning Center, who was in attendance, also emphasized the importance of the family as the foundation for building civilization.
“The family is not merely the smallest unit of society, but the primary foundation for building civilization,” she said. According to her, every family member is part of a community that must be continuously nurtured so that it can produce a generation of integrity. (dh) (IAAS/HRD)
