Parents urged to monitor wards' movements with peers

Nkoranza (B/A), June 25, GNA - Mr Kwabena Agyemang-Badu, Nkoranza District Director of Education has advised parents to monitor the movements of their wards, so as to guide them against the influence of bad peers. and check them against moving with bad peer groups that could influence them to develop questionable characters, which would have adverse effect on their development and future lifestyles.

Mr Agyemang-Badu was addressing the members of Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) of the Nkoranza Anglican Junior Secondary School (JSS) at a meeting at Nkoranza on Monday. He said when children enter their adolescent period, they become so curious that they begin to pick up a number of attitudes and characters from among their peers, and if proper care and attention are not taken, they develop and affect their future. He cited wee smoking, drunkenness, taking of hard drugs as habits people usually pick from their friends as they hang out in peers.

Mr Agyemang-Badu therefore, stressed the need for parents to draw their children to themselves as they grow, so that the children could acquire desirable habits to make them responsible citizens and also enable them manage themselves in future. He also urged PTA members to join hands with the teachers of the school to encourage the latter to educate their wards and children.

Mr Agyemang-Badu noted and said since every person is fallible, if it should happen that any teacher should commit an offence in the community, management committee of the school's concern and the PTA executives should ensure to meet the staff and resolve the issue to ensure cordial relationship among teachers and parents in the communities.

Mr Owusu Agyemang, Chairman of the local Anglican JSS deplored the negative attitudes of some parents, who pamper their wards in the homes to the extent of attacking teachers, who discipline their children for wrong-doing and urged such parents to desist from such practices, since it rather promoted indiscipline amongst school-children in schools. The parents should encourage and support their girl-child to further their education rather than forcing them into marriage and in some cases pushing them to learn dressmaking and hairdressing, which, he said, "have become so common in communities in the district".

Mr Agyemang advised students of the school to accord their teachers the necessary respect so that the teachers could in turn devote more attention for them. The Head-teacher, Mr Owusu Gyamfi complained that some of the students "have grown horns" to the extent that they would never take any instructions from their teachers. Mr Gyamfi therefore, pleaded with the parents to talk to their children to turn over a new leaf, as such negative attitudes would automatically not allow teachers to have interests in such schools with indiscipline students.