IT IS without a doubt that crime is the greatest challenge facing our country at this time.

Criminal gangs are progressing in their operations. Frighteningly, we saw in the media recently the investment and technology being utilised by criminals in the installation of CCTV cameras to monitor police operations.

Although the Government is pumping resources into the crime fight, we still see the miscreants trying to dominate our beautiful islands. Over the years, billions of dollars have been made available by the Government to fight crime. Developmental programmes, as well as free education, although readily available, seem not to be interesting to most of the youths of today.

The question is however: who do we blame for the low morals and values in certain members of society? Usually the Government gets the blame, or even the police.

My opinion is that we-the parents, the guardians-have the greatest role to play in the positive development of the children under our care. We are the ones to instil positivity and values so as to develop a better, more productive society.

According to the Global Indian International School, having moral values means having strong roots. For the trees, having a healthy root system means having healthy leaves and branches. And for people, having a strong root of healthy values means having good thoughts and a healthy life.

Moral values are important components of any individual’s character, and they should be taught right from childhood. The importance of teaching values to children is that it helps them to choose the right way. Moral values give a child the right direction, which help them to get accepted and respected by society.

Early childhood is the best age for character-building and helping children learn the importance of values education. It helps to build strong character, develops understanding between right and wrong, boosts self-confidence and promotes more qualities. These qualities ensure the growth of children, both personally and professionally.

It is said that the learning of childhood stays with children throughout their life. It helps them as they grow and stays with them for the rest of their lives. The importance of teaching values to your children today will determine how they will behave when they become adults.

It is our responsibility as parents to provide moral education to our children as early as possible. It may seem too early to teach the importance of ethics to students, but teaching children a sense of fairness, a sense of honesty and other good values will help them to follow these in their lives as they grow, and will stay with them forever.

Remember, children are like sponges: they will absorb everything from their environment. So make sure to set a good environment at home where they see or hear good things.

There is a famous quote on character and value by Billy Graham: ‘If wealth is lost, nothing is lost; if health is lost, something is lost; when a character is lost, all is lost.’

Nigel Seenathsingh San Fernando