Be actively present in your child’s life

The school year has opened amid widespread concerns about the spread of homosexuality and related vices in communities, especially schools.

A week ago, officials at an Entebbe public park were forced to repaint a tower after the public kicked up dust claiming the rainbow colours represented interests of sexual minorities. The authorities, however, maintained the painting was not connected with the sexual minorities. The debate is yet to settle.

When this publication visited Kibuli Secondary School in Kampala on Sunday, it found posters discouraging students from homosexuality and use of drugs.

This came barely two weeks after two prominent schools were put under probe over claims of giving homosexuality an enabling environment. We are yet to get a report on the probe, if any.

Homosexuality, which remains illegal in Uganda, could be more widespread than it is reported.

This is why we ask parents to be present in the lives of their children whether at home or at school.

The two-year intermittent lockdowns exposed the failure of many parents to shepherd their children in the right way. It showed that with their busy schedules, children were on their own, accessing content dangerous to them or involving in activities unknown to their parents.

With schools closed, it emerged that teachers had been playing the bigger part in nurturing children because they spend a considerable amount of time with them.

The result was many unwanted pregnancies, high crime rate among the teens, and many other social ills.

The lockdown revelations and the stories emerging of moral decadence and of same-sex relationships; brewed heavily in school settings, should be a wake-up call to parents.

Educationists and experts quoted by this newspaper yesterday offered a raft of proposals on how to tame homosexuality.

Among the steps schools plan to put in place is sensitization of learners on the dangers of early sex, strengthening religious values, establishing spy networks, putting in place proper career and guidance desks and importantly actively involving parents and board of governors in the day-to-day activities of the school.

What stands out is the involvement of parents. Our call is that parents shouldn’t be passive caregivers. Paying school fees alone isn’t enough. Take keen interest in the study materials your children use. Parents ought to know the friends their children keep, and they should be in the know of the sort of entertainment they consume.

We appreciate all cultures, but we must play a role in promoting those that we deem healthy.