President Samia calls for active parental engagement, youth development

Dar es Salaam. President Samia Suluhu Hassan has directed the CCM Parents' Wing to return to their role in child upbringing and promoting community health.

The Head of State said daily life struggles leave children to take care of themselves, which is unsafe for the nation.

She emphasized the importance of the ruling party’s Parents' Wing to oversee the community and child upbringing in order to provide the nation and CCM with good future leaders.

“I urge parents to do your job. When you say that the pain of the child is felt only by the parent, it’s true; no parent wants to see a group of children sitting idly and left unattended,” she said.

“They may not realize that they have lost their potential, and no parent wants to see that,” said President Hassan on Saturday, July 13, 2024, when closing the Parents' Wing Week in Katavi Region, where she has also commenced her work visit.

President Hassan said if political parties have children who are not well-raised, the country will face the same issues happening in other parts of the world, observing that by correctly raising them and instilling Tanzanian values in them, political parties and the government will get good leaders.

She said parents often have limited time to spend with their children due to development activities, noting that many children, even those as young as two-years-old, are sent to school due to life pressures.

“A parent thinks of paying for the service, and leaves a child from morning to evening, returning to find the child exhausted and has not learned anything,” she said.

Further, she said many children are left to raise by themselves or being raised by their peers, highlighting the danger that many have access to technology and are learning inappropriate things.

Regarding social issues, President Hassan instructed the ruling party’s Parents' Wing to address burning health issues by staying close to citizens.

“Currently, of every five Tanzanians, three are said to suffer from a mental illness. If we stand here as five people--myself, Deputy Secretary General of CCM Zanzibar Mohamed Dimwa, Deputy Prime Minister Dr Doto Biteko, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa, and CCM Vice Chairman Abduraham Kinana-- three have mental health issues. We need to reflect on this issue,” she emphasised.

The CCM Parents’ Wing Chairman, Mr Fadhili Maganya, stated that during the parenting and ethics conference, they identified that the issues of upbringing and ethics are significant to the country and that efforts are needed to address them.

“We are planning to start various conferences expected to address these issues regionally,” he said, unveiling plans to establish different projects such as hospitals and factories to increase own income generation.

The Parents’ Wing Secretary General, Ally Hapi, said they are determined to make the Parents’ Wing effective and influential to all people.

“We have organized ourselves to be a strong institution that will contribute significantly to our party’s victory in local government polls and the General Election,” he said.

The CCM Vice Chairman, Mr Abdurahman Kinana, urged Tanzanians to uphold integrity, emphasizing that a major characteristic of CCM is promoting honesty.

“We are approaching local government polls and the General Election. The main issue being raised is corruption in elections and politics. Nothing is worse than seeking leadership through corruption,” he said.

The Party’s Secretary General, Ambassador Dr Emanuel Nchimbi, said in just a year, members who joined CCM have contributed Sh1.119 billion in fees at Sh2,000 each.

He expressed great satisfaction with the CCM under President Hassan’s leadership, stating that they will continue to promote all that are done under her leadership.