The closure of schools as a measure to curtail the spread of Covid-19 in schools left parents and learners with the internet as the primary source of accessing information.
However, the subjection of learners fully to the internet is certainly responsible for the negative behavioural trends reported among learners especially in the past few weeks.
As much as the internet offers educational content, the fact that there is less monitoring of the nature of information learners seek from various platforms, there are high chances that children go for adult content more than they seek educational content.
The position of the government through the ministry should be focus on trimming educational content and placing it in online platforms and mass media channels. There have been insignificant efforts from these policy makers on providing ways and models of monitoring the kind of content learners can seek.
Parents on the other hand are generally either not always available for their children or not knowledgeable on the best avenues of limiting access to particular sites and platforms.
There is no doubt that the internet has made it possible for education to proceed despite the absence of education stakeholders. However, how can we explain the recent developments indicating over 4,000 new pregnancies among schoolgoing children in a single county?
Further, on June 20, a group of teens in Ogembo, Kisii county, were arrested engaging in group sex while filming themselves. All these are results of unmonitored online content directed at learners.
Going forward, the government and relevant policy makers should come up with extensive monitoring systems and engage parents on their application. Parents equally need to be more responsible with their children. Unless these remedies are sought and executed, we will be looking at worse statistics after Covid-19.
Nyamira
