By Collins Wanzallah
Motivational speaker Jimmy Wambugu has advised parents to desist from the practice of smoking cigarettes or consuming alcohol in front of their children, terming it a contributor to indiscipline among children. Mr Wambugu, who spoke at Ruthimitu mixed secondary school in Gachui on Friday last week during the school’s annual general meeting (AGM), where he was the chief guest, said that the act had a fifty per cent contributing factor to children, especially students getting into the use of drug abuse.
He named cigarettes, bhang, and alcohol as the most abused drugs by students in schools. “Parents, kindly, when you have a get-together commonly known as a bash, please ensure your kids don’t see you taking alcohol or smoking. ” Kids emulate their parents, said Wambugu.
He used the phrase “monkey, see what monkeys do” about the abuse of drugs and alcohol by students in schools, originating from some students who see what their parents consume. Wambugu, who is also a team-building coach, author, and pastor at the Third Day Worship Center (TDWC) at Kirigiti in Kiambu County, cautioned parents not to be too lenient with their children whenever a concern is raised by school teachers concerning their change of behaviour at school.
He said that teachers, because they spend more time with school-going children or students, have a higher chance to notice behavioral change in children and urged parents to cooperate more with them. Wambugu, who said that he joined secondary school in 2016 at the age of 33 after a fifteen-year stint due to a lack of school fees by his parents, continued to say that the problem may arise during this school holiday as schools have opened and urged parents to ensure that they closely monitor their children and give them good guidance.
“I lost my mother when I was only ten years old, had a don`t care parent, did the work of hawing in different towns in the country and abused alcohol before I got saved, married, and went back to secondary school on my own at the age of thirty, so I am well conversant with what I am saying and have experience, lamented the motivator.
He at the same time called on teachers to do thorough inspections of students or school-going children whenever they come out of the school compound, maintaining that some students, especially those who are day scholars in schools that have boarding and day school, have perfected the art of sneaking in drugs and alcohol to schools.
“The danger of the use of alcohol and drugs in schools has led to unrest in schools because its effect is loss of property and poor performance by many students in school. Parents are the ones who bear the brunt of all these losses, he uttered.
The school principal, John Thairu, urged parents to ensure their children are not left idling during the holiday season, saying an “idle mind is a devil`s workshop.” Thairu`s sentiments were supported by his deputy, Nasson Muusya, who also called on parents to instil more religious teachings in their students, emphasizing that the respect of God through following his teachings and going either to churches or mosques was paramount to any human being.
