THERE is a call now to all Bougainvilleans to send their children to school and invest in their education, as Bougainville heads into referendum.
Former BRA planner Ben Kamda in an interview with this reporter said Bougainville will really need a qualified human resource, especially educated people.
“A lot of us are abusing our children’s rights by telling them to go gardening when they’re supposed to be in school learning something,” Kamda said.
“We need future leaders on Bougainville and our children really need to go to school starting at an early age at elementary level. They have to start learning when their blood is still young and fresh, they have to be taught the importance of going to school,” he said.
“I really would like to discourage parents who tell their children to go gardening or fishing when there are supposed to be in school, and also instead of wasting money on alcohol land going gambling they should be paying their kids school fees and buying school items like books,” Kamda said.
Kamda said he is seeing in communities that a lot of kids have been abused of their rights to go to school and learn.
“A lot of school age kids are being forced to do hard labour and even illegal activities like brewing homebrew and selling drugs,” he said.
“Most kids are being used as drug mules for their seniors in the community that is bad,” Kamda said.
Kamda said the law should come down hard on parents and other members of the community, who abuse their children’s rights to go to school and instead tell them to do hard labour.
PIcture: Elementary school kids in Buka performing a dance.