18 Jun 2013

National Children’s Council chairperson, Reverend Mpho Moruakgomo says it is regrettable that the number of children who have never set foot in a school is still high. He also regretted that some children found no fault in abandoning school to work in farms and cattle posts.

Giving a keynote address at Gasita in the Southern District during the Day of the African Child, also known as June 16, he said some children were victims of farm labour because of staying with their parents who worked in the farms.

“Child labour is not only a crime, it also denies children the right to education; if the country’s laws on child protection with regard to the right to education are not adhered to, it will always prove to be difficult to break the vicious circle of poverty,” he said.

Education should be deemed the key factor in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of universal primary education as well as eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, said Rev. Moruakgomo.

He said technical education should be improved and children encouraged to enrol in sound technical courses that would resonate with the needs of the economy.

Councillor Moruakgomo, who is also deputy chairman of Kgatleng District Council, stated that teenage pregnancy continued to be a worrying problem, especially amongst children. The Ministry of Education and Skills Development has reported that close to 2 000 young girls dropped out of school between 2011 and 2012.

He said the situation was not helped by cultural norms and practices where parents did not openly discuss issues of sexuality with their children. These beliefs deprived children of sharing their concerns and questions with their parents. Ends