A gender and human rights advocate, Josephine Oppong-Yeboah, has called on all stakeholders to help increase enrolment of the girl-child in school to ensure inclusive development in society.
She was of the view that in spite of the successes made so far in promoting girl-child education, some communities in the country continued to discriminate against girl-child enrolment and refused to see it as a key factor for girls’ empowerment, prosperity, development and welfare.
Speaking to the Ghanaian Times in an interview on Friday, MsOppong-Yeboah said previously, it was believed that girls were only required to take on the role of mothers and do only housework, but it should not be so now.
She has, therefore, called on traditional authorities and opinion leaders to help break all barriers to the education of the girl-child.
Ms Oppong-Yeboah said it was about time all barriers to the education of females, especially those in rural areas, were removed.
For her, parents, opinion leaders, traditional authorities and all who matter must take steps at the local level to protect these female children from falling prey to early marriage and teenage pregnancy.
MsOppong-Yeboah expressed the concern that early marriage and teenage pregnancy were the major causes of school dropouts among females, especially in the rural communities.
She said increased rate of teenage pregnancies in rural areas hinder development.
“We need to take the girl child education seriously; they build societies. When these girls are educated, they are in the best position to make better judgments and certain menaces like teenage pregnancy will slow down,” MsOppong-Yeboah said.
She was of the opinion that education was one of the quickest and most efficient methods of encouraging economic growth in any nation.
BY BENEDICTA GYIMAAH FOLLEY