Parents have been accused of abdicating their parental responsibility of their school going children to teachers which has in turn contributed to the poor performance in national examinations,
Speaking in Garissa town on Monday when she donated mosquito nets to youth groups, the Nominated Senator, Falhadha Iman told parents they have a role to play and added they should closely monitor the progress of their school going children.
“That is one area we have failed as parents from this region. Some parents have never visited their children from the day they took them to school to enroll them on the day they were reporting,” Iman said.
“Some parents have no clue how their children are performing. Some don’t check whether they have done their homework or not,” she added.
Research has shown that children who are visited by their parents while in school perform better in national examinations as opposed to those who are not.
“How do you assist your child with his or her studies if you have no idea of how they are performing? You don’t even inquire from their teachers on how they are performing,” she said.
On discipline, the nominated senator called on the students to uphold high standards of discipline and respect their teachers the same way they do to their parents.
“Teachers are your second parents. You must respect them if you want to succeed in your examinations,” Iman said.
The Nominated Senator further took issue with retrogressive cultural practices among them FGM and early marriages which she said although the practices have reduced, there are areas where the cultural practices are still widely practiced in rural areas.
She said the cultural practices have led to low enrollment especially among the girl child.
The legislator told chefs and their assistants to do more in ensuring that all school-going age children in their areas of jurisdiction are in school.
She said the administrators have no excuse because they have the necessary laws to ensure that this happens.
“The Children’s Act clearly spells out the penalties for parents who fail to take their children to school. Chiefs are cushioned and they must enforce the law,” she said.
“Our girls should be given the opportunity to get an education because they have proven that given a chance they can perform extremely well,” she added.
By Jacob Songok
