GOPIO Launched and Conducted En Pillai En Poruppu Parenting Program in Johor Bahru

Press Release

Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) Malaysia successfully launched their En Pillai En Poruppu Parenting Skill Training program in Johor Bahru recently.

This program which is led and conducted by Ms. Kalpana Devi Subramaniam, Director  of Trueway Trainers and also the Head of Education Bureau of GOPIO, has been conducted in two locations: The Johor Indian Chambers and also in SJKT Ladang Sungai Plentong recently.

The program focuses on empowering parents with the know-hows of raising children holistically, ways to overcome the current challenges of new-age parenting and improving parent-child bonding was well received by the participants.

Mr. Raveendran Arjunan, President of GOPIO Malaysia says GOPIO is committed towards extending a helping hand to move the community forward. “ We want to engage with the grassroots to see how GOPIO can play a role to improve the socio-economy of our Indian community. We have many programs planned out for future execution, which will add value to all layers of the community. We are ready to work collaboratively with like-minded synergistic partners to engage on meaningful activities that will empower our people.

Ms. Kalpana Devi says, change has to start from home. Most often, when we look at solving a social problem, we often make the mistake of  treating the symptoms and not the root-cause of the problem. A child’s characteristics  forms at a very young age. The home environment and parenting style plays a crucial role in a child’s growth and development. The current world is evolving fast. Parents have to keep abreast of the changes and not stick to traditional concepts of raising a child. Culture is to be valued. At the same time certain mindsets of ours need to change in order to allow our children to grow to their optimum potential. “ Parents must be able to chart a path for the child’s progress. That can only be done if parents are aware of the opportunities available and the importance of education as a tool to eliminate poverty. Keeping ourselves updated with the global changes is pivotal to play a supportive role in our children’s development. Issues such as absenteeism, under-nourishment and disciplinary issues are rampant and glaring. We need to address these issues to ensure a positive outcome for the community at large. Through this Parenting Program, I look forward to change parents’ mindset on various issues that has been holding back our community .” Ms. Kalpana added.

Parents of different social standings have different priorities when it comes to their expectation from their children. For example, in some homes, domestic problems, to an extent, hinders a child’s  progress. For example, some children do not attend school for a long period of time due to poverty or family problems. In certain homes, parents put too much emphasis only on academic achievement without looking into developing the child holistically. As such, we at GOPIO wish to use this Parenting program as a platform to empower the parent community with the needed knowledge on various options available on academics, career and ways to raise well-balanced children. We strongly believe that if we can inculcate good parenting skills amongst the parents, we can significantly reduce numerous social problems that’s plaguing our community such as high drop-out rate, gangsterism, poverty and such, “she say.
Participants of the parenting program expressed their gratitude for the effort taken by GOPIO Malaysia and Ms. Kalpana Devi for empowering the Indian community.

Ms. Ananthi from Johor Bahru said the program created awareness on her current parenting style and what she needs to improve. “Mdm. Kalpana Devi shared many important points that would certainly help me to be a better parent. She also helped me to understand the global competition that my children will face when they grow-up and how I can play a role to raise them to be all-rounded to succeed in life.

Mr. Thiaga who says this is his first experience attending a parenting program said the information shared in the program is certainly beneficial for him, his wife  and his children.

This parenting project was made possible by the support of SEDIC of the Prime Minister’s Department. GOPIO thanks SEDIC and its team for the support to make this project possible.

GOPIO will continue to conduct the parenting program in various areas in Johor, Perak and Penang. For NGOs or parents who would like to know the upcoming program schedule, they can contact kalpanadevisubramaniam@gmail.com.my or call GOPIO Secretariat at 03- 2276 0467.