Responsible use of social media: P&T ministry targets students, youth in fresh sensitisation campaign.

The campaign, dubbed “The ICT Campus Tour”, was launched at the Mongo Beti College in Yaounde, Wednesday February 7.

The launch comes ahead of the 2024 Youth Day, to be celebrated tomorrow. 

During the launch of the series of sensitisation at the Mongo Beti College campus, experts and consultants from the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications and other partners, drilled the students on the values of discipline and patriotism.

The ministry, in partnership with Mendo Company, also schooled the youngsters on the protection of the environment.

Embrace responsible use of ICT tools

Top on the agenda during Wednesday’s activities was the repeated talks and calls on appropriate use of ICT tools social media networks. 

Students were during the event, advised to shun the practice of embracing the spirit of sharing hate speech and other negative practices online.

Authorities and officials schooled the youngsters on the dangers that contrary behaviors to that effect could have in their personal lives and to that of the nation including tampering with the unity of the country. 

To ensure the effective use of social media platforms void of controversy and the spread of hate speech, students were amongst other advised to “think twice before publishing online and to respect others’ rights and privacies,”.

For their personal safety on social media platforms, the youngsters were also cautioned to respect practical guidelines including abstention from posting personal details online and the acts of posting intimate personal videos or photos online. 

Boosting P & T ministry’s efforts

Speaking in an interview during the tour on Wednesday, officials of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications said the latest series of campaign which precedes several other gatherings of that kind, will give way to more positive results in the fight against the irresponsible use of ICT tools.

“By sensitising these children, we are sure that they will be able to carry the message to their parents back home. The active participation of these children in the activities here today really permitted us to discover to notice that children can be major actors in the fight against the spread of hate speech online,” Arouna Nfenjou, an expert and consultant from the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, said. 

According to the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Mendo Company, Hugues Cedric Ngbwa Ngbwa, the later sensitisation works will give the fight against hate speech and other inappropriate use of ICT tools a new impetus.

“These campus tours are organized to ensure that we effectively orientate our students so that they will become responsible citizens in the future as demanded by the state. The tour enables us to show youths what they should do and what they shouldn’t. Our gratitude to our patron, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications,” Ngbwa said.

School authorities, students vow to respect guidelines 

In separate reactions after the activities at the schools, staff and students of the Mongo Beti College said they will be working hard to ensure they follow the guidelines and best practices taught them Wednesday into practice. 

The school’s Master of Discipline, David Evina said the school will spread the messages during assemblies and other activities within the institution. 

“This enabled our youths to learn a lot of things. We are going to ensure that all the lessons gathered here are fully practiced in the school and beyond through internal sensitization campaigns in the campus notably during assemblies, in drama clubs and on posters,” the Master of Discipline said.

“We students have understood that we need to use the internet carefully. Students need to understand that practices like sharing their nude videos and photos online is not safe and can come back to haunt them in the future. We have to reflect very well before posting because it can destroy us,” said Bessala Eloundou Maeva, the President of the Mongo Beti College’s Student Union.