Editorial
Groom the youth to live responsible lives
The youth of today constitute an important asset in the sense that they are seen as the leaders of tomorrow who will take charge of affairs of the country to lift it to greater heights.
For this reason, they (the youth) must be groomed well and encouraged to live responsible lives.
Unfortunately, many of them live irresponsible lives as a result of indiscipline coupled with other factors.
Some youth have become indisciplined partly because of bad examples of their parents. These parents misbehave in society in the full glare of young people, so the youth easily become influenced in that way.
In addition to that, some of the young people also fall into bad company or bad peer groups. Such bad peer groups influence them to the point that they become disrespectful in society.
Irresponsible parenthood is another factor that influences many young people in society to become indisciplined. These parents neglect their children and do not spend quality time with them to change their lifestyles from negative to positive.
The issue of foreign films is also a factor that influences them negatively. This together with exposure to social media ends up changing their behaviour from good to bad.
As a result of all these, many young people of today have become indisciplined and do not respect the elders in society. Many of them take to hard drugs which worsen their conditions. Others also, that is the males among them, throw caution to the wind and flirt with their female counterparts to make them pregnant and perpetually rendering them dependent on society.
Furthermore, some of the youth resort to armed robbery to terrorise communities and make life difficult for the people.
To reverse this situation, good parental care is needed for all children through their teenage period and beyond, so that they can grow up to become responsible citizens.
Society must also use all means to influence young people of today to obey the laws of the country when they are in school, so that irresponsible behaviour such as the attacks on teachers and destraction of school property can stop.
School rules must be obeyed so that the young students will grow up to become responsible members of society. This is how the young ones can be influenced to turn away from acts of indiscipline to become responsible leaders for society.
It is our collective responsibility to ensure that these young people are advised from time to time to instill discipline in them.
The youth themselves must know that without discipline, they cannot make it in life and this is why we must keep to positive social values and do away with any forms of indiscipline in society.
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Editorial
Promote welfare of African children
The African Union hosts the annual International Day of the African Child on June 16 to increase awareness of the rights and ongoing struggles of African children.
Additionally, the day offers a forum for talking about and addressing topics including healthcare, education, and safety from exploitation and abuse.
It began in 1976 when students in Soweto, South Africa, were killed for demonstrating against inequality and injustice in education.
Since children have rights that must be upheld, the African Day celebration is appropriate because it serves as a poignant reminder to our communities to put children’s needs first, ensuring that they develop and realise their full potential.
Most importantly, it pushes people, governments, and communities to address pressing issues like child labour, inadequate education, and to ensure safe, healthy environments.
This year’s theme, “Planning and budgeting for children’s rights: progress since 2010,” is no exception to the efforts done thus far by governments, individuals, parents, and others to advance the welfare of children.
In addition to their rights to nutritious food, medical care, secure housing, and high-quality education, children also require emotional support, safety, and protection from danger in order to flourish.
Children’s physical, mental, and social development depends on these necessities, yet far too many continue to be denied their rights and go without food, housing, water, or health care.
While eating, sleeping, playing, and learning are all important aspects of a child’s growth, some children do not find these activities enjoyable. Such children work independently to make ends meet although their parents are responsible for that role,
Many people and organisations have put a lot of effort into making sure that children’s rights are outlined, upheld, and safeguarded; thus, everyone must keep fighting for children’s rights.
The Convention on the Rights of a Child (CRC) was created in 1989 as a result of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which served as the foundation for all legal norms pertaining to children’s rights. This is the first international agreement with legal force that covers all human rights.
Therefore, a multifaceted strategy encompassing legal frameworks, education, community involvement, and tackling systemic challenges is needed to assure the preservation of children’s rights.
Laws that safeguard children from abuse must be put into place and upheld, public awareness of children’s rights and protection must be increased, and safe spaces must be established in institutions and communities.
Let us all work together to defend the rights of African children.
Editorial
Employ pros at local government level to address sanitation issues
Dear Editor,
In a car on my way to work on Tuesday, I listened to an interview on sanitation on a radio station which a local government expert said that most of the people that handled waste management issues at the Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies, were not waste management professionals but health professionals.
According to the speaker, this has contributed to the failure to address the sanitation problems, especially at the local level.
These health professionals who have been tasked to oversee waste management are only occupied with the health related dangers but have no clue on the issues at hand.
I felt very sad and found it disturbing as to why people without professional training in waste management is given responsibilities in a field alien to him.
Waste management involves a lot of processes, including segmentation of waste products as well as recycling.
Employers must know that waste management professionals at the local level was important as it helps making decisions ton how to combat it.
This is not a problem at the local government level alone. It is something across the various sectors.
Maybe this is the time for us as a country to start recruiting qualified professionals to occupy their respective fields to bring their competence to the table to solve whatever problem persist.
It is clearly a case of putting ‘square pegs in round holes.’ I believe it is about time we change that narrative and employ professionals who are qualified to find solutions to our waste management conundrum.
Baba Hafiz, Kasoa
