Parents in Kisumu are on the spot for forcing their school going children to look after cattle during school days.
Kisumu County Executive Committee member for Education, Culture, Youth, Gender and Sports Jennipher Kere has issued a warning to parents to stop engaging their school going children to chores such as looking after cattle, especially during school days.
He said that most parents with cattle normally instruct their children to herd their cattle most of the time hence interfering with their education.
“It is so painful and wrong that some of these young ‘herds boys’ are as young as below ten years but are cowed by their parents to look after the family’s cattle instead of going to school,” lamented Kere.
She added that they have received complaints from school heads who claimed that some children miss classes to look after cattle.
Speaking to this writer in her county headquarters office on Monday, the CeC said that the county government was going to take action against parents found engaging their young children in herding cattle at the expense of their schooling.
“Between herding the family’s cattle and schooling, which one is more important to making the future of the children?,” Challenged Kere.
Kere said that her Ministry will not take the matter kindly as schooling is supposed to brighten the future of the youngsters and that is why we will not allow any parent to get between children and their education.
Boy child has been neglected for a very long time and the government is going to take serious measures to ensure that they really protect boy child,” said Kere.