Most Rev. Charles Hammawa, the Catholic Bishop of Jalingo Diocese, has advised parents to stop buying smart phones for school children because of their negative effects on children. Hammawa gave the advice on Monday at the graduation ceremony of Our Lady of Consolation Girl’s Secondary School, Jalingo. He expressed concern at the alarming rate at which students were now using social media, describing the situation as impending disaster for the nation’s educational development. ‘‘I want to advise parents to stop buying phones and other communication gadgets for their children because rather than read their books, most students now spend more time on the social media to the detriment of their studies.

‘‘I want to use this opportunity to call on the state and Federal Governments to come out with measures that can help improve enrollment of girl-child in schools across the country. ‘‘We must change the mentality about girl-child education and ensure that the future of female child in education is uplifted for the growth and development of our country,’’ he said.

Earlier, the Principal of the college, Rev. Sister Justina Adejoh, had called on government to intensify its campaign on the importance of training the girl-child. She appealed to parents to allow their children to choose their careers and stop imposing career choices on them.

Adejoh congratulated the graduating students for exhibiting good attitude throughout their period of study in the school. She also commended them for their wonderful performances in the just released West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results. The principal described their performances in the examination as heart-warming.