English
Kinyarwanda
Heads of education programmes at the district and sector levels, and head of schools in Nyanza dissolved to reinforce measures to protect and promote child rights.
This is one of the resolutions adopted at the end of their two-day retreat that ended last week at Nyanza Technical School.
The retreat focused partly on having common understanding on child protection ahead of the 2019 academic year, which starts this Monday.
While addressing the educationists, the District Community Liaison Officer (DCLO) for Nyanza, Assistant Inspector of Police (AIP) Joseph Tuyambaze, observed that child protection involves fight child pregnancies, alcoholism, abuse of drugs and sensitising parents on proper feeding.
"These are serious issues undermining youth development and affecting other sectors like education and health as well as security. We need to forge a strong bond between parents, teachers, local leadera and the Police to sensitise the public on child protection but also ensure that when a crime is committed offenders are identified and brought to justice," AIP Tuyambaze said.
"We have seen cases where a girl as young as 13 years has been impregnated; the same goes to young people that are majority involved in drug related crimes and served with alcoholic drinks in bars; these are issues we need to collectively stand up against through information sharing," he added.
He also urged them to establish anti-crimes and support the existing ones to spearhead sensitization on child rights and dangers associated with abusing illicit drugs in their respective schools.
The District Education Officer for Nyanza, Édouard Mushimiyimana reminded the head of schools to protect educational materials citing computers and other electronics that are sometimes mishandled or stolen.
