THE ‘NWA ỌHA’ VALUE SYSTEM IN IGBO: EXPLORING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF COMMUNAL PARENTING IN SELECTED TEXT

Abstract

The topic of this study is, ‘The ‘Nwa á»ha’ value system in Igbo: Exploring the significance of communal parenting in selected text. This study is prompted by the deteriorating state of moral values and the alarming rate of the acts of irresponsibility, waywardness, disobedience and rascality amongst the new generation. Igbo individuals, both males and females, have degenerated their behavior to a sorry state. This has become a cause for concern. The problem is traceable to lack of communal parenting. The objective of the study is to examine some of the functional units of the society. It aims also at evaluating the extent of the application of the tenets of the functional units in moulding the children. Specifically, the study has the objective of also examining the degree of the use of ‘Nwa á»ha’ value system of the Igbo in shaping the behavior of the children of nowadays. The study also looks at how the value system can go a long way in moulding children into responsible adults in the Igbo society. The study adopts the narrative research method as its methodology. The theoretical framework that guides this study is the structural functionalism theory. It is discovered that if every sane adult would see every child as his or her own and guides accordingly, the menace in the society would reduce. Therefore, the study suggest that raising a child should be a communal effort and not for the parents alone. This study will be beneficial to the society, mostly parents and intending parents as it throws more light on the need for parents to allow others to partake in training their child/children.