Editorial
Supervise children when they are online
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The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic which hit Ghana in March this year posed a lot of challenges to Ghanaians, notable among them is the closure of schools for safety reasons.
As a result the use of the internet by children has increased significantly as they get the opportunity to be educated by mostly using the internet to access information while at home and also interact with others. Unfortunately, some abuse this opportunity.
Schools have been organising online classes for children to complete their academic work and to ensure that the children do not miss much academically while at home.
Although children use the internet to access information and to educate themselves, the danger is that some may be tempted to visit unsuitable sites that may harm them as parents are busy and most often not around to monitor closely what their children do online.
Due to technological advancement it is now common for children to use mobile phones, tablets, laptops and other electronic media or communication gadgets for their assignments.
What is so disturbing is that some children are so addicted to the internet that even while eating, they are still glued to their phones and browse alongside but this behaviour must be checked. This is not about child rights, it is more of protection and security.
With the growing trend in cyber crime, children are at risk and need to be guided for security reasons, therefore, parents or care-givers must be vigilant and inculcate in the children the need to be honest and self-disciplined to avoid being lured by predators.
Children are curious and vulnerable to all forms of attacks by these fraudsters who usually hide their real identities and use fake images to lure children and engage them in a hearty chat online.
There have been cases where parents have also set bad precedence to their children by watching harmful movies with them thus allowing these innocent children to imitate blindly.
The Spectator is worried about children being exposed to all forms of attacks online and so urges stakeholders, especially parents to support the Child Online Protection (COP) initiative launched by the United Nations Agency for Information Communication Technology (ICT), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to protect children while they are online. This is spearheaded by the National Communications Authority (NCA).
In this era of COVID-19 where when most children are home, they become bored and want to entertain themselves by going online as an option but parents can find alternative means to occupy their children.
In this technological age you cannot isolate your children by refusing them the use of the phone or going online but they must be guided and monitored closely as the online environment is risky for them.
Parents who are educated must avail themselves and discuss online safety issues with their children by advising them not to interact with strangers and divulge vital information about themselves to others.
Supervise children when they are online.
Dear Editor,
Before we start blaming the government, the authorities and how bad our roads are, perhaps we should first ask ourselves what role we played in making our roads unsafe.
Road safety is often discussed as though it is solely the responsibility of the government and law enforcement agencies, neglecting our roles we play to make the roads unsafe.
While authorities have an important role to play, the behaviour of individual road users remains equally important.
A driver who speed, overtakes recklessly, uses phone while driving or drives when tired is making a decision that could affect many lives.
A motorcyclist who ignored traffic light and also refuse to wear a helmet, passengers who encourage the driver to speed and the pedestrians who crosses a busy road carelessly can also contribute to danger.
We must therefore develop a strong culture of personal responsibilities on our roads.
Drivers should obey speed limit, avoid distractions and ensure their vehicles are road worthy, passengers should also not encourage reckless driving simply because they want to arrive at their destination quickly whiles pedestrians must also exercise greater caution when crossing roads.
At the same time authorities must continue to improve road infrastructures, enforce traffic regulations consistently and educate the public about responsible road use.
Road safety cannot succeed through enforcement alone; it requires change in attitude. If each road user understand that another person’s life may depend on their decision, our road can become safer.
Let us not wait for another crash before we remember the value of life. Thank you for the space.
From Akwasi Aaron
Accra.
Dear Editor,
I was concerned by a point raised during a radio review about the growing expectation among some parents that once their children attend government schools, particularly under the Free SHS programme, the government must provide virtually everything they need.
This mindset deserves serious public discussion.
The introduction of Free SHS has undoubtedly lifted a significant financial burden from parents. Government is already absorbing substantial costs associated with the education of thousands of Ghanaian children. Students in public second-cycle institutions also benefit from provisions such as tuition support, meals and other essential services.
However, Free SHS should not be interpreted as free parenting. A parent should not expect the government to provide every personal item a child needs simply because the child attends a public school. Items such as mattresses, sponges, toiletries, clothing, chop boxes and other personal necessities should, where possible, remain part of the parent’s responsibility.
The same principle applies at the basic-school level. Government has a responsibility to provide quality education and create an enabling environment for children to learn. Parents, however, have an equally important responsibility to support their children’s education and welfare.
Government cannot and should not replace the family. When parents gradually transfer every responsibility to the state, we risk creating a culture of dependency in which citizens expect government to solve every personal problem. That is neither sustainable nor healthy for our development as a nation.
We must therefore appreciate the support government provides while recognising that education is a shared responsibility. Parents must continue to contribute according to their means, schools must do their part, and government must continue providing the necessary educational infrastructure and support. Rather than asking, “What else will government give us?” parents should also ask, “What can I do to support my child’s education?”
Free education is a public investment, not an invitation for parents to abandon their responsibilities. Ghanaians must therefore change the mentality that government must provide everything. The state can carry a significant portion of the burden, but the family must never surrender its responsibility.
Free SHS should make education more accessible not make parenting optional.
From Desmond Aidoo
Sowutuom
