As a parent, you are your child’s first and most important teacher. When parents and families are involved in their children’s schools, the children do better and have better feelings about going to school. In fact, many studies show that what the family does is more important to a child’s school success than how much money the family makes or how much education the parents have. There are many ways that parents can support their children’s learning at home and throughout the school year. Here are some ideas to get you started!
Develop a partnership with your child’s teachers and school staff
1. Meet your child’s teacher. As soon as the school year starts, try to find a way to meet your child’s teacher. Let the teacher know you want to help your child learn. Make it clear that you want the teacher to contact you if any problems develop with your child. Talk with your child’s teacher offers some great tips for developing a partnership with your child’s teacher.
If you feel uncomfortable speaking English, don’t let a language barrier stop you. What you have to say is more important than the language you say it in! Ask the school to find someone who can interpret for you. There may be a teacher or parent liaison who can help. Or you can bring a bilingual friend or relative with you.
Kids raising hands during a lesson at an elementary school: Stock Image
2. Get to know who’s who at your child’s school. There are many people at your child’s school who are there to help your child learn, grow socially and emotionally, and navigate the school environment. Who’s Who at Your Child’s School describes the responsibilities of teachers, administrators, and district staff. Each school is different but this article will offer a general introduction to personnel of your child’s school.
3. Attend parent-teacher conferences and keep in touch with your child’s teacher. Schools usually have one or two parent-teacher conferences each year. You can bring a friend to interpret for you or ask the school to provide an interpreter. You can also ask to meet with your child’s teacher any time during the year. If you have a concern and can’t meet face-to-face, send the teacher a short note or set up a time to talk on the phone. For more ideas about how to prepare for parent-teacher conferences, see Tips for Successful Parent-Teacher Conferences at Your Child’s School.
Support your child academically
4. Find out how your child is doing. Ask the teacher how well your child is doing in class compared to other students. If your child is not keeping up, especially when it comes to reading, ask what you or the school can do to help. It’s important to act early before your child gets too far behind. Also be sure to review your child’s report card each time it comes out. For more information, see How To Know When Your Child Needs Extra Help.
Young African schoolboys smiling to camera in a playground: Getty Images
5. Apply for special services if you think your child may need it. If your child is having problems with learning, ask the school to evaluate your child in his or her strongest language. The teacher might be able to provide accommodations for your child in class. If the school finds out your child has a learning disability, he can receive extra help at no cost. For more information, see Where To Go For Help.
6. Make sure that your child gets homework done. Let your child know that you think education is important and that homework needs to be done each day. You can help your child with homework by setting aside a special place to study, establishing a regular time for homework, and removing distractions such as the television and social phone calls during homework time. Helping Your Child With Homework offers some great ideas for ensuring that your child gets homework done.
If you are reluctant to help your child with homework because you feel that you don’t know the subject well enough or because you don’t speak or read English, you can help by showing that you are interested, helping your child get organized, providing the necessary materials, asking your child about daily assignments, monitoring work to make sure that it is completed, and praising all of your child’s efforts. Remember that doing your child’s homework for him won’t help him in the long run.
COMMUNIQUE OF THE CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (CAN) AT THE END OF THE 4TH QUARTERLY MEETING HELD ON THURSDAY 11TH NOVEMBER, 2021 AT THE NATIONAL ECUMENICAL CENTRE, ABUJA.
The 4th quarterly meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) was held at the National Christian Centre Abuja on Thursday, 11th November, 2021 under the chairmanship of the CAN President, His Eminence, Rev. Dr. Supo Ayokunle. In attendance were the other members of CAN national Executive, heads of the five Blocs of CAN, delegates from the Blocs, chairperson of the Women Wing (WOWICAN) and Youth Wing (YOWICAN) of CAN and other prominent Christian leaders in Nigeria. During the NEC meeting, the Council deliberated on many issues affecting the Body of Christ in Nigeria and the well-being of Nigerians in general. Notable among these issues are:
1. The National Executive Council appreciates the recent efforts of the Security agencies for the prompt action taken to rescue the Staff Members of the Federal University of Abuja who were recently kidnapped. However, it admonishes the Federal Government and Security Agencies to be more proactive to stop with immediate effect, the spate of kidnapping in the country especially in Kaduna State where kidnapping is now almost a daily occurrence. CAN challenges the Security Agencies to respond quickly to distress calls and protect the lives and properties of Nigerians. It further calls on the Federal Government to do all it can to release the abducted innocent people in captivity unconditionally without further loss of lives.
2. On the need for prompt action by security Agencies, CAN also wishes to advise the Federal, States and Local Government Areas to immediately initiate an all inclusive security dialogue with all stakeholders. This will help towards finding a lasting solution to the security challenges.
3. CAN enjoins the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to be consistent about the information it puts on its website. It particularly noticed that the telephone numbers on its website are not functioning. It should do all it takes to help educate and constantly update Nigerians about the challenges of COVID-19 and the availability or otherwise of COVID vaccines.
4. CAN advises the Federal Government to put in place a better administration of the QR Barcode reader payment required for returning to Nigeria from overseas. A situation where Nigerians are subjected to intimidations abroad because of the negligence of duty of the officials is very embarrassing. Also, the ugly practice by some Government officials extorting money from citizens coming back home without remitting same to government coffers must be checked.
5. CAN acknowledges the resilience of Nigerians in view of the prevailing economic hardships and insecurities in the country and advises the Federal Government to not worsen the situation with increasing electricity tariffs, prices of cooking gas, and merely allocating funds for maintenance of roads without corresponding visible impacts.
6. CAN wants the general public to know that it now has a new (amended) constitution which was adopted by the General Assembly and signed into law by the CAN President on 25th February 2021. It therefore, calls on the Christian faithful to get themselves acquainted with the provisions of the new constitution. It also admonishes believers to take ownership of the Association so as to appreciate the workings and operations of CAN.
7. As the nation prepares for the electioneering campaigns towards the 2023 General Elections, CAN urges all Christians and citizens that are of age to without delay take advantage of INEC’s re-validation of voters’ cards exercise and register to get their voters’ cards. Politicians should conduct themselves in a manner that will bring peace and unity. Youths should not allow any selfish office seeker to use them to cause violence before, during and after the politicking exercise.
8. CAN prays for the Government and people of Nigeria.
9. As we approach Christmas and the New year, CAN commits Nigeria to the hands of God and wishes all of us a wonderful celebration in advance.
Barrister Joseph Bade Daramola (General Secretary CAN.)
eNaira is a central bank digital currency (CBDC) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria as a legal tender. It is the digital form of the Naira and will be used just like cash.
WHAT IS AN eNAIRA WALLET?
The eNaira wallet is a digital storage that holds the eNaira. It is held and managed on a distributed ledger.
The eNaira wallet is required to access, hold and use eNaira.
IS eNAIRA A CRYPTOCURRENCY?
No, it is not.
• eNaira is a legal tender backed by law, the full sovereignty of Nigeria, and issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
• Cryptocurrencies are private digital currencies, not backed by law, underlying assets or by the sovereignty of any nation. They are not legal tender currencies.
• eNaira is a unit of account, store of value and medium of exchange.
• Cryptocurrencies do not have all these qualities
WHAT MAKES eNAIRA DIFFERENT FROM THE MONEY IN MY BANK ACCOUNT?
• eNaira is the digital form of the cash and is a direct liability on the Central Bank of Nigeria while the customer deposits are direct liabilities on the financial institutions.
IN A TYPICAL TRANSACTION, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN ONLINE BANK TRANSACTION AND eNAIRA WALLET?
There are intermediaries for the typical online bank transactions, whereas for eNaira transactions, there are no intermediaries.
WHAT IS THE PRIMARY ROLE OF THE CBN WITH RESPECT TO eNAIRA?
In line with Section 2 of the CBN Act 2007, the CBN is the issuing authority of all forms of Naira.
The Central bank will also be responsible for determining the technical, regulatory and operational standards for eNaira to guide financial institutions.
WILL eNAIRA REPLACE CASH?
No, it will circulate alongside cash. The eNaira will complement cash as a less costly, more efficient, generally accepted, safe, and trusted means of payment.
IS eNAIRA SAFE?
eNaira is safe and secured with cryptographic techniques against counterfeiting, cloning, and other forms of attack.
As an eNaira holder, am I assured of data privacy?
Yes. Similar to the privacy enjoyed by current online banking patrons, the eNaira system has been designed to ensure data and user privacy. There are also operational policies and procedures in place to protect users’ identity and privacy.
WHO CAN ACCESS eNAIRA?
Similar to cash, any person or business can have access to eNaira as long as they have the requirements for onboarding.
WHAT IS THE EXCHANGE RATE BETWEEN eNAIRA AND PHYSICAL NAIRA?
The eNaira will have the same value as the physical naira. As such, it will be exchanged one to one.
How do I access eNaira?
Customers will be able to access eNaira via the eNaira wallet in app stores such as Google Play store and the Apple App store.
HOW ARE eNAIRA WALLETS CREATED?
• For smart phone users, download the eNaira app (termed “Speed”) from either the Google Play Store or Apple Store and complete the registration process.
• Feature phone users, will utilize USSD codes and follow the registration prompts
How do I get eNaira into my eNaira wallet?
There are several ways to do so
• Direct transfer from your bank account;
• Transfer from another wallet either individual or merchant;
• Cash payment through an agent or a bank
How do I connect my eNaira wallet to my bank account?
The eNaira app allows customers to identify a bank of their choice, connect to their bank accounts and perform transactions.
HOW DO I CREATE A MERCHANT eNAIRA WALLET FOR MY BUSINESS?
To create an eNaira wallet as a merchant/corporate, you will be required to follow the required steps:
• Visit app stores such as Google Play Store or Apple Store to download the eNaira wallet;
• Register by providing your Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) and identify a bank of your choice for validation;
• Upon successful validation of a merchant’s details by a preferred bank, the merchant’s bank will create a wallet and advise the merchant
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TIERS OF eNAIRA WALLETS THAT I CAN OPEN AS A MERCHANT?
• As a merchant/corporate, you can open a merchant wallet with full KYC requirements for opening a merchant/ corporate account. The stipulated limits on the wallet are as follows:
HOW DO I RESOLVE FAILED TRANSACTIONS OR RAISE ENQUIRES ON eNAIRA?
• Reach out to the customer support of the bank you selected when registering for eNaira through their available channels which includes: phone (0800myenaira), email, whatsapp, etc Disputes will be resolved as soon as possible.
• If a customer’s complaints are not resolved within 48 hours, send an email to CBN’s eNaira Customer Support via helpdesk@enaira.com
IS eNAIRA WALLET SAFE?
• Yes. The eNaira system uses a two-factor authentication system in addition to cryptographic encryption to ensure the safety of customers’ wallets and the eNaira holding.
HOW DO I RESET MY PASSWORD?
You can also rest your password within the App by navigating the settings menu.
Rt. Rev. Prof. Dapo F. Asaju (Bishop Theologian, Church Of Nigeria, Anglican Communion)
Lecture presented by Rt. Rev. Prof. Dapo F. Asaju (Bishop Theologian), at the Lagos Diocese Pre-Synod Lecture Series, held at All Souls Church, Lekki, Lagos on May 1 2021.
I congratulate the Lord Bishop of the Mother Diocese of Lagos, Rt. Rev. Dr. Humphrey Bamisebi Olumakaiye for the Synod of this year and for organizing this conference in order to add the voice of the Church to concerns about the security and welfare of our dear country, Nigeria.
Martin Luther King Jr. wrote:
“When evil men plot, good men must plan,
When evil men burn and bomb, good men must build and bind,
When evil men shout ugly words of hatred, good men must commit themselves to the glories of love.
Where evil men would seek to perpetuate an unjust status quo, good men must seek to bring into being a real order of justice”
THE RELEVANCE OF CHRISTIANITY TO GOVERNANCE, PEACE AND SECURE SOCIETY.
1. God is the creator of man and the world (Jesus is creative Agent- The Word of God – John 1:1-5, Colosians1:15-18. Therefore He has control over world affairs. He judges the world when they sin (Noah’s Flood) and He sends prophets like Amos to challenge evil rulers and leaders. He reigns in the affairs of men. He actually ran a Theocracy in Israel before the monarchy was introduced.
2. Man is a complex Being, made up of the Body, Soul and Spirit. It is Christianity that can influence his behavior and psychology (The Heart of Kings are in the hands of the Lord… He turns it wherever He wants- Proverbs 21:1).
3. The Bible is a manual for successful human governance, nationhood, peace and security.
– The government of the Universe is upon the shoulder of Jesus Christ and of the increase of His government there shall be no end ( Isaiah 9:6).
– His name is Prince of Peace. His influence has brought peace and civility to kingdoms and countries of the world.
– Only regenerated man can bring about good governance and peaceful reign. Man is intrinsically evil and wicked. God once regretted that He made man. God gives new heart and spirit which can enable them have compassion on the welfare of the people and receive revelation to govern aright. Otherwise, typical man is selfish, evil and corrupt.
4. There is a raging battle between the kingdoms of God and Satan (Ephesians 6:2).
Demonic influence over rulers and governments is well known. Many political leaders have involved themselves in pagan rituals including ritual killings and bloodshed of all sorts and are under the influence of Satan, Principalities and Powers…. The Church is the only establishment by God empowered to overcome evil forces and their manipulation of the society. Elisha healed a cursed land of Jericho (2 Kings 2: 18-22). In Daniel’s time, the Prince of Persia withstood the Angel sent from heaven to bring an answer to his prayer requests. (Daniel 10:13) What we see in
Events in different parts of the world, especially Nigeria manifests this ongoing battle in the end time.
Christianity is today under co-ordinated attacks from various opponents: Communist Atheism, Secularism in the West, Paganism in African communities and Islam.
5. The governance structure of Executive, Legislative and Judiciary is Bible derived (Isaiah 33:22 – “For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King. It is He who will save us”).
6. Similar trends of religious expansionism, terrorism and systemic domination in Nigeria are old strategies employed by Jihadists to take over North Africa and Asia in UK, USA, Asia and Middle East.
NIGERIA’S CURRENT SECURITY PROBLEMS
1. Islamic fundamentalism and terrorist Jihad in serial order such as Maitatsine, Boko Haram, etc.
2. Attempts at Internal re-colonization, domination and Islamization.
All activities and policies of Government point to these:
Dominance in: Government strategic ministries, Parastatals, Military, Police, Paramilitary, Finance, Education, Foreign Policy, Internal Affairs, Judiciary, Legislature, etc.
3. Fulani herdsmen deployed in every forest in nooks and crannies of Middle Belt, South-West and South-East.
4. Migration of multitudes of Northern youths, Almajiris, handicapped who settle in isolated settlements, fully armed, serving as Guards, Motor cycle transport riders, etc. These pose danger to peaceful settlements as most of these people have access to external remote control through their transistor radios, their mosques and the modern communication gadgets. The south can be overwhelmed if care is not taken by host communities to recover their sovereignty and defend their lands.
5. Spate of kidnappings, abductions, murder of innocent people, including students, ethnic cleansing of Christian communities in the north.
6. Outright failure of government due to incapacitation of the military to check Boko Haram and Isis, who are sacking communities, taking territories, taking over wives of communities, moving towards caliphate imposition.
7. Quranic challenges to Bible and violence instructions in the Quran: There is a need to appeal to fanatical Muslims to re-interpret these violent instructions as inapplicable to religiously plural societies of the modern day; rather they should emphasize the peace content which Islam means.
8. The Apparent silence and compromise by Southern Muslims to speak out against this evil,
9. Threats of secession and beating drums of war fare and restructuring, etc
10. Failure of Government at all levels, hyper inflation, arms proliferation among criminals, heavy debt burden, rudderless governments and complicity of government in the Islamisation agenda.
11. Politicization of Religion in Nigeria has been ongoing for many years in sectors of constitution, education, judiciary, public service, etc.
12. Tactical error of northern domination: Feudal elite exploit their people, Neglect of educating the people, using religion as political weapon and arming the Islamic uprisings such as Miatatsine, Boko Haram, Fulani Herdsmen, etc.
The Role of the Church in ensuring Safe and Secure Nigeria
1. Jesus Christ and Earlier prophets intervened in the affairs of the State: Joseph (economic policy to save from famine), Moses (liberation- Let my people Go), Elijah (challenged idolatry and autocracy of Ahab and Jezebel), Jeremiah and Ezekiel criticized false shepherds exploiting the sheep, Esther reversed decree to annihilate Jews (deliverance through positioning in strategic location [ WATCHMAN AND STANDING AGAINST EVIL]
2. The Early Church persecution and Constantine’s liberation and church -state relations. [CONVERSION AND EVANGELISM]
3. The Martin Luther’s and John Calvin’s Reformation of the Church opened up the world to freedom, education, enlightenment, democracy etc.
4. The Church led the fight for abolition of slave Trade through the parliamentary efforts of William Wilberforce.
5. The Church in Nigeria, like other parts of Africa participated in the vigorous fight against colonialism and for independence of African nations, through Ethiopianism. Names like Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther, Bishop James Johnson, Herbert Macaulay etc.
6. The Civil Rights Movement in USA was led by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., a fulltime Baptist Minister. The church leaders can lead a peaceful revolution in Nigeria and other African countries towards peace, justice, equality and fundamental human rights of all citizens without oppression by one religion or tribe, of others.
7. Islamic Agenda and assaults against Christianity and the Church. [ NEED FOR CHRISTIAN AGENDA AND STRATEGIES TO STOP ISLAMIZATION and TERRORISM]
8. Loss of North Africa and Asia Minor to Brute force of Islamic Jihad, legislative sharia control. The Church was weakened by disunity, theological controversies and internal strife; thus the easy prey to Islamic invasion. [CHURCH TO AVOID DENOMINATIONAL DIVISIONS, FORGE UNITY AND MOBILISE MEMBERS TO ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN POLITICAL GOVERNENCE AND ELECTIONEERING]
9. The fundamental error of the Amalgamation. British positioning Northern dominance. Lugard covenant with North and official policy to resist Christian evangelism and missionaries in the North. [RESILIENCE OF THE CHURCH THROUGH ACTIVE PROTECTION OF THE VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES, CONGREGATIONS AND USE OF ALL PEACEFUL LEGAL MEANS TO MOBILIZE AND RESIST EVIL POLICIES].
10. International moves should be pursued to redress the fundamental amalgamation of the country and the much talked about restructuring should be vigorously pursued by non-violent means, after the patter of the USA Civil Rights Movement and Mahatmas Gandhi’s non-violent resistance.
11. The Church must deliberately design means of training and raising credible leaders who are disciplined and God fearing and knowledgeable enough to provide leadership at all levels and in all sectors of Nigeria. We are leaderless at the moment. The Church is the Light of the World and Salt of the Earth. Bad leadership endures because of absence of the good.
12. The Church must exit its indifference and lackadaisical attitude towards elections. They must register and vote, campaign and monitor elections to prevent rigging and god-fatherism. The church has for now sufficient population to effect positive change in governments at all levels. Note the populations of Roman Catholics, Anglicans (about 18 million), Pentecostals, Aladura, etc. With proper political education, necessity of current insecurity and failed governance should compel all good Nigerians of all religions (Christians, especially to ensure that the next elections in 2023 does not go to those who are bent on bringing this country down to the grave.
13. The Nigerian churches are too proliferated and materialistic. Some Pentecostal leaders live in too much opulence, being mentioned among the richest pastors in the world, preaching a wrong theology of prosperity theology at this time of national emergency! Of course they afford to own private aero planes and build many mansions and institutions in the names of their families, whilst there is abject poverty, killings, violence, joblessness, youth restiveness and refugees all over the societies.
The church must first cure itself of internal errors before it can challenge similar exploitations in the larger society.
14. There is need for mass reorientation of the citizenry and reeducating the present and coming generations about patriotism, nationhood, nation building, civics, etc., new curriculum to be redesigned for primary and secondary schools, to compulsorily include prayer and Christian religious education. Education is knowledge and
15. Prayer is effective but it must be complimented by action. Faith without works is dead. The Church must organize, protest, speak truth to power, instruct her members in government to be accountable to God through the church to do that which is just and right, and not to indulge in corruption or evil Through prayer and divine intervention, God has the power to humble preliminate all pharaohs and Nebuchadnezzars. And there will be peace in the land.
16. Where it is difficult for government security agencies to defend vulnerable citizens of Nigeria (Including Christians) in the face of rampaging killers, then the Church must organize security for their congregations and communities in all ways legal. They are entitled to defend themselves and their lives as well as that of their family and church members. The church can consult its members who are knowledgeable in intelligence gathering, defense strategies etc., to guide and educate them in case of emergencies. This is the stage we are at in Nigeria already where government fails to provide most of its constitutional obligations, forcing citizens to provide same for themselves. It will help if all prominent Christians in public and private sectors speak out to save Nigeria. Church Leaders should be bold to speak out against the insecurity that is going on in Nigeria. If they fail to be watchmen as commanded by God in Ezekiel, the blood of many people will be accounted for by them. Let us bring to remember the genocide in Rwanda and killings in Sudan, Somalia, etc. We cannot afford any civil war again in Nigeria. This is the time for everyone to shout- Enough is Enough!
When the current storm passes, we will need to reengineer and re-orientate our police and Armed Forces in a manner that will make them genuinely patriotic and committed to the security of one Nigeria. May God have mercy on us.
“If my People, which are called by my name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins, and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).
Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. 3 John 1:2
God desires fullness of health and freedom from any bodily affliction which is one of God’s greatest gifts to mankind. Most importantly, he also invites us to participate in the work of restoring and stewarding our bodies. The state of the body exercises a great influence on the mind and soul. When unhealthy, our impressions of the outward will be untrue, and our influence upon the outward will be limited and feeble. Our spiritual feelings and expressions are also considerably toned and stained by our physical condition.
Proverbs 17:22 says “A joyful heart is a good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones”.
God’s plan for man was never to be unhealthy or out of shape. So many people including us believers fall into the trap of thinking that God finds no worries in seeing a sick Christian (but no, he does). That is far from the truth. As Jesus walked on this earth fully reincarnated as man, one of His most proactive ministries was the healing of sickness and affliction. The Scripture tells us in Matthew 4:23,“And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.”
An unhealthy lifestyle can be caused by so many things, not just what we eat or drink but through sin passed on from generation to generations and most importantly ignorance of God’s laws (take a look at the Laws of Moses especially Leviticus which is regarded as a book of health laws) or sometimes simply just affliction from an enemy that doesn’t want you to experience the fullness of God’s plan in your life. Psalm 38:3 reminds us that, “There is no soundness in my flesh because of thy anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin.”This simply implies that the absence of God in our spiritual life can lead to sickness and disease. This is not to say that all the people who are sick are not right with God, but we live in an imperfect world that needs more of God’s grace to sustain us.
God’s goodness and fullness have always brought forth a flow of healing and goodness not just upon the body, but even our souls and spirits. As God heals hopelessness, uncertainty, anxiety, lack, fear and so much more, He also brings healing upon our physical bodies. And just as God gives us the enabling grace to say no to the sin that entraps our spirits, He also gives us the grace to be good stewards of our body to exercise, eat right and still live a healthy life in Christ.
