Rokiah Mahmud
A two-day Islamic Parenting Skills Workshop held by the Fiqh al-Usrah Research Centre of the Religious Teachers University College of Seri Begawan (KUPU SB) came to a close yesterday with a ceremony at Tarbiyah Hall.
Ra’es of KUPU SB Dr Haji Adanan bin Haji Basar, as the guest of honour, handed over certificates to some 90 participants comprising officers and staff from government and private agencies, along with individuals.
The Chairman of the workshop Hilman bin Haji Salim said he hoped the workshop would serve as a platform to provide understanding and experience to participants on parenting theories from the Islamic perspective.
He also hoped that the insights gained from the workshop would be developed further by the participants, and disseminated and shared with the public so that it may benefit more people.
He added that the workshop will continue to develop parenting modules with more variety by inviting collaboration from stakeholders with means to form a Sakinah Mawaddah Wa Rahmah family in the context of Brunei Darussalam.
Meanwhile, Inspector Pengiran Mohd Norhasni bin Pengiran Haji Omar, speaking from a male participant’s perspective, said he found the modules interesting, particularly in discussing challenges in educating children.
He said that as globalisation has presented difficult challenges for parents, they must become examplary role models for their children and thus, must understand the importance of communication skills.
Hajah Rozailah binti Haji Abdul Rahman from the Ministry of Health (MoH), representing female participants, said the workshop was proof that there is demand for parenting courses from an Islamic perspective.
She said the workshop provided awareness on the rights and responsibilities of parents and children.
It also taught the importance of strengthening the Aqidah of husbands and wives and the importance of providing Islamic education to their children as a family institution, she added.
Officer from the Community Development Department (JAPEM) at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS) Siti Alifah binti Awang Osman, an observer for the workshop, summarised that to build a happy family, the family institutions need to be strengthened.
She said a number of things need to be taken seriously by parents including inculcating Islamic appreciation in the family, consistently disciplining children, identifying positive and negative influence of social media as well as asking about their wellbeing and feelings.
The Ra’es of KUPU SB shared that building a Sakinah Mawaddah Wa Rahmah family institution is done through a number of matters including, taking the rights of children into account, practicing piety and Sunnah such as reciting Doa.
