By Robert Nyagah
The Bishop of the Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church (KELC) Right Reverend Johnes Ole Meliyio has urged female learners to utilize modern Information Communication Technology (ICT) to reach their academic goals, at the same time avoid negative media content.
Addressing adolescent girls during a series of seminars held in Embu and Kirinyaga, the Bishop warned that advancement in technology and ease of access to information should not be used to influence the minds of young girls negatively.
The KELC has been holding various education seminars across the country targeting school children and college students through its various church forums. The programme also incorporates understating of the law and particularly child rights to education.
The Bishop said ICT use should be selective to impart knowledge.
“Some young girls learn about negative things online through their smart phones, yet the same phones can help them access a wide range of positive educational information about how to live respectable and religious upright lifestyles,” said Bishop Meliyio.
Kenya, he said, has many examples of young people who use modern technology gadgets to access negative information and sadly, some end in suicide, immorality, unwanted pregnancies, and sometimes early marriages.
Such vices, he said, affect both girls and boys’ pursuits, resulting in compromised lives as adults.
While agreeing that some parents could be overbearing when tackling their daughters’ discipline more than the boy child, Bishop Meliyio surmised it was all because most parents and guardians were worried over their vulnerability to emerging negative trends of modernity.
The Lutheran Church, the Bishop said, had been prompted to launch major campaigns to educate adolescent girls about various issues which could negatively affect their education and morals.
He said the church had incorporated health issues, the law and religious piousness in its nationwide project where thousands of girls were targeted.
Bishop Meliyio urged the more than 300 girls at Kianjokoma and Kibingoti churches to take their education seriously because it was the pillar of their future lives.
“Education is very important. Educated people do things according their level of knowledge, but ignorant people live foolish lifestyles and you should be wary of that,” the Bishop said.
He said his church was keen to have girls participate in voluntary activities at community and church levels where they could be supervised and dissuaded from falling into negativity.
The Bishop advised parents to handle the girl child with caution, listen to them and reward the obedient.
