Prof. Waswa Balunywa has challenged parents, teachers, and communities to take greater responsibility for shaping the character and future of girls. He warned that peer pressure, social media, and other digital platforms are increasingly competing with parents for influence over children. This warning was given at the Annual General Meeting of Wanyange Girls School in Jinja.
Prof. Balunywa emphasized the need for stronger parental involvement, character formation, and collaboration between families and educational institutions in preparing girls for an increasingly complex world. He raised concerns about changing family structures and the weakening of traditional African communal parenting systems. According to him, parents must become more deliberate in understanding the influences shaping their children's behavior, attitudes, and aspirations.
Prof. Balunywa questioned the changing meaning of parenthood, recalling the traditional African belief that a child belonged to the village, where every adult had a responsibility to guide, correct, protect, and nurture children, regardless of biological relationships. However, he observed that modern society has experienced significant changes, with children increasingly raised within different family arrangements involving biological parents, foster parents, step-parents, and other guardians.
Prof. Balunywa identified upbringing, religion, culture, and education as four major foundations that influence an individual's character and determine how they relate with society. He explained that upbringing plays a fundamental role in shaping children's values, discipline, and attitudes, which eventually influence the adults they become. He also emphasized that education should not be restricted to classroom instruction.
The professor expressed concern that society is gradually moving away from some traditional African and Christian family values without adequately establishing alternative principles to guide the younger generation. He argued that academic excellence alone should not be the ultimate measure of a child's success, stressing that honesty, trust, respect, discipline, and responsibility are equally important attributes that determine an individual's character and contribution to society.
Prof. Balunywa described the three different forms of parenting influencing children in contemporary society: the real parent, the peer parent, and the digital parent. He noted that although biological parents and guardians remain primarily responsible for raising children, other influences increasingly shape their lives. He cautioned that the desire to fit in with friends can sometimes become stronger than the guidance children receive from their parents.
Prof. Balunywa challenged parents to reflect on the values they are planting in their daughters, noting that the quality of upbringing they receive at home will significantly influence their decisions and relationships in the wider world. He urged parents to go beyond providing school fees, food, clothing, and other basic needs, and to take an active role in shaping their children's lives.
Key points
- Prof. Balunywa warns that peer pressure and digital technology are increasingly competing with parents for influence over children.
- He emphasizes the need for stronger parental involvement and character formation in preparing girls for the future.
- Prof. Balunywa identifies upbringing, religion, culture, and education as key foundations that shape an individual's character.
