By Amoto Ndiewo
Garissa County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Education Ebla Minhajj has asked parents to monitor their children during this long holiday in a bid to shape their character and behaviour.
Speaking to Education News in Garissa town, she said parents are responsible for guarding, guiding and ensuring their children engage in productive activities
The education chief noted that parents can determine their children’s future by correcting them while still young.
“This can be done by keeping them occupied and knowing their company and whereabouts,” she said.
Accordingly she said the society must be aware of social ills in their communities.
“Garissa isn’t an island, so cases like early pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, drugs, substance abuse and crime must be fought at all costs thus it needs a multi-sectoral approach,” she said.
The former teacher further cautioned that during such long holidays children often fall victim to peer pressure and end up in vices such as drug abuse, premarital sex and early marriages.
Ebla stated that the government is on high alert to ensure that the girl child is protected from Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and early marriages.
She concluded by saying that behavioural change in the community is needed where leaders and parents influence children and speak out against societal ills.
