The ethical dilemma in the case of Chant is that her father wants her to leave school to manage the house and look after her three siblings. This is because her mother is unable to carry out her duties due to sickness. The chant is not prepared to leave school because she has adapted well to the American schooling system since they moved from Cambodia. The ethical dilemma is heightened by the fact that although her father would like her to continue schooling, there is nobody to manage the house. The circumstances, therefore, leave him with no option other than forcing her to quit school.
The first dilemma in the case is that Chantu is a distressed girl since she does not want to quit school to manage the house. The idea that she quits school to manage the house is supported by her father since the mother is sick and cannot carry out her normal responsibilities.
The chant is distressed and has even reported the matter to the school counselor in search of assistance. Since she has started to rebel against her father’s idea to quit school, forcing her to do it might not solve the problem. This is because she might drop out of school and decide not to perform the responsibilities she is supposed to perform at home due to bitterness.
The second dilemma in the case is that Chantu’s father wants her daughter to continue with her education, but there is nobody to manage the home since the mother is sick. It is not his will to have her daughter quit school, but he has no option. As a parent, it would be a great failure on his side to force her daughter to drop out of school. This is because he has the responsibility to ensure that his child goes to school and gets a good education. On the other hand, his role as the head of the house requires him to ensure that the house is well managed. This puts him in a dilemma since he has to choose between two difficult options.
The third dilemma in the case is that Chantu will be separated from her friends. Since they moved from Cambodia to America, she has adapted to the American schooling system and the culture. This means that she has made friends, and forcing her to quit school will affect her adversely. The fact that she has interacted with them for seven years will make her lonely after being separated from them. The separation might also affect her psychologically, thus leading to other mental complications.
The dilemma in the case of Chantu needs to be approached cautiously. This is because it involves two sensitive issues. The first issue is that Chantu wants to continue with her education, while the second one is that her mother is sick, which means that there is nobody to manage the house. As a counselor, I would talk to chant’s father and advise him that forcing her daughter to quit school is not the best way to address the situation.
He should assume that Chantu was not available and look for other options. I would also talk to Chantu and encourage her to manage her time wisely and use any spare time she has to perform some duties at home. By doing this, the situation will become manageable.