State Ministry of Education in Eastern Equatoria is urging parents to keep their children busy at home to prevent early marriage and involvement in petty crimes.
Speaking to radio Emmanuel, the director of basic secondary education Odomtula Hillary fears the number of learners may reduce when schools re-open.
He is afraid that school children may get involve in unwanted behaviours like early marriages or petty crimes.
‘If children are staying idle and their parents are not taking care of their needs, then definitely it may lead to early marriage. if the COVID-19 condition continuous like this parents should keep these children busy with something to keep them safe to avoid a disaster of early marriages or imprisonment of these school going children,’ he explains.
The director advises parents to continue encouraging children to stay home and practice the preventive measures on COVID-19.
‘As parent guide your children, introduce something to keep them busy so that they do not go and mess up. The young children may gather in one place and start whatever they think they want to with their peers. COVID-19 is real and may not go away in the next two to three days, we need these children to go back to school after all these is over’, says Hillary.
The Speaker made the remarks to radio Emmanuel in Torit.