NAIROBI, JUNE 18, 2019 (CISA)-Bishop John Oballa Owaa, the Vice Chairman of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) has criticized parents for exposing children to the internet which has influenced their behavior.
In his keynote address during the opening of the, “Smart Governance” Conference at the Jesuit Hakimani Center in Nairobi, the bishop lamented that parents have relegated their responsibilities to computers, mobile telephones, the internet, daycare centres, and house-helps.
“All these cannot teach values, cannot contribute to good character formation, and will not replace the parent. Children have become addicted to computer games, the internet and social media to fill in the gap left by lack of parental love, care and concern,” he said.
Bishop Oballa urged parents to spend time with their children, saying this will give them opportunity to inculcate value-based education in their children.
“Value based education will not only give the children a strong moral foundation, but will also give them the opportunity to transform the society and build a nation that cares for the well-being of everyone, especially the poor and marginalised.”
In reference to the study conducted by Jesuit Hakimani Centre on value based education, Bishop Oballa noted that 83 percent of parents acknowledge that they do not spend quality time with their child, which is backsliding from their parental responsibility.
“Although parents have a responsibility to inculcate good values in their children, this is not happening. Most parents are too busy pursuing income generating ventures which do not often translate into an increased quality of life. They therefore miss the opportunity to nurture their children towards being morally upright persons.” he said.
“The gap left by parents in character formation of children is filled in by peers who are a great influence on the children especially at the adolescent stage,” he adds.
The conference under the theme Smart Governance: Balancing Human Capacity, Knowledge Revolution and Technology Advancement’ was held from June 11 to 12 and brought together religious leaders, academic institutions, educational and environmental actors, and political leaders.
