Teenage pregnancies impeding girl-child education in three regions – Coordinator
Mrs. Beatrice Nkum, the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regional Coordinator for Girl Child Education has expressed worry that the alarming trend of teenage pregnancies is impeding girl-child education in the three regions.
She emphasized that unintended pregnancies should not be a factor for girls to drop out of school, saying, the Ghana Education Service (GES) allows pregnant girls to stay and complete their basic education.
Mrs. Nkum advised parents and guardians to support and encourage their pregnant girls to stay in school and continue their education to at least acquire formal education.
She was speaking at the closing session of a two-day mentorship and skill training camp for 61 teenagers held at Fiapre in the Sunyani West District of Bono Region.
Mrs. Nkum noted that once a girl is pregnant, she goes through serious psychological problems, but if parents draw them closer and encourage them to continue with their school, they could easily do so.
The Department of Gender in collaboration with the National Youth Authority (NYA) organised the two-day camp with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to build the potentials of the young people.
They were selected from Techiman and Nkoranza Municipalities and Pru District in Bono East Region and Sunyani West District and went through employable skill training in bead making, liquid soap production and body make-ups.
Mr. Robin Appiah, the Sunyani Municipal Health Promotion Officer advised adolescent people to take advantage and visit the adolescent health corners (AHCs) spread across the region to access sexual reproductive health services.
He told the teenagers that there are several family planning methods that are good for those who cannot abstain from pre-marital sex and advised them to visit the AHCs to access them.
Mr. Appiah assured them that their confidentiality is always guaranteed, saying, health workers are always available at the corners to counsel and provide them with family planning services.
Mrs. Jocelyn Adii, the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regional Director of the Department of Gender said sex education among adolescent people is very important to protect themselves from unintended pregnancies and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs).
She commended the UNFPA for its continuous support to her department and called on other development partners to also support the department to implement programmes that would impact on the lives of boys and girls and society in general.
Source: GNA