COMFORT EKELEME, BUSINESS EDITOR
Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of First Bank of Nigeria Limited Dr. Adesola Adeduntan community has urged all parents, teachers and caregivers to teach the values of kindness and empathy to their children/wards.
This he said would help the young ones to see the outward impact of their actions in developing a just and sustainable world for everyone.
In his remark Wednesday, during a webinar session on education, Themed “Education- Does Kindness Have a Role”, Dr. Adeduntan maintained that the role of kindness in learning institutions cannot be emphasized.
According to him, the theme of this webinar, “Education- Does Kindness Have a role?” resonates with the core strategic pillars of the bank’s Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability which are: Education, Health and Welfare, Financial Inclusion and Responsible Lending & Procurement.
He said, “Every year, as part of our corporate responsibility & sustainability initiatives, FirstBank undertakes projects under the SPARK (Start Performing Acts of Random Kindness) initiative and creates public awareness on the importance of people showing acts of kindness to others.
“In the words of Henry James, the renowned American author, “Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind,” he said.
Speaking further, Dr. Adeduntan maintained that this webinar is undoubtedly one of the most important activities lined up to mark the FirstBank’s Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (CR&S) Week as it aims to promote the SPARK values in Education with the goal of institutionalizing it.
He said the discussion will feature iconic figures from the Academia: Prof. Ken Amaeshi, University of Edinburgh, UK and European University Institute Florence, Italy and Prof. Liz Grant, University of Edinburgh.
Dr. Adeduntan also said that “We at FirstBank are truly honoured to have these important personalities engage in such an important discourse as this!
“While we acknowledge that Education is one of the most powerful things in life that helps us to find a meaning to everything and creates the platform to break barriers, we cannot agree less with C.S. Lewis that “Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a cleverer devil.
“This is why kindness as a virtue and value, has to take its roots in the minds of everyone and when it is imbibed as a way of life, it permeates every core of the human existence and interactions, making learning richer,” he said.
According to National Centre for Educational Statistics, 2019, one out of every five (20.2per cent) students are reportedly being bullied during a school year.
This results in long-lasting damages in the victims such as loss of self-esteem, depression, poor performance, suicide attempts and unfortunately, a continuous cycle of bullying.
“At FirstBank, empathy is at the core of our brand promise and we care about the mental well-being of every individual.
“There is no gainsaying that a mentally balanced student will perform excellently and make a wholesome community. We have a role to teach them this value by the very acts of kindness that we demonstrate.
“At FirstBank, we will continue to demonstrate our passion for Education and an unwavering commitment to ensuring quality standards of learning in our institutions. If we will all assume the role of kindness, the world will become a better place to live in starting from our own immediate circle,” he said.
