A 14-year-old Junior High School (JHS) student (name withheld), who was defiled and impregnated by a mason, only known as Kobby, believed to be in his 50s, has been dismissed from school.
The authorities of Southlane Lake View School, at Kasoa-Hideout, in the Ga South Municipality of the Greater Accra Region, sacked the victim against policy guidelines of the Ghana Education Service (GES).
The GES with support from UNICEF and other partners have since 2018 been implementing a re-entry policy for pregnant girls.
It is within this policy context that a Back to School (BTS) campaign was launched in 2021, as part of government’s COVID-19 resilience strategy for the education sector to ensure the re-enrolment of all students, especially pregnant girls and teenage mothers.
The student, who was initially denied registration for the upcoming Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), was said to have finally been registered, only after persuasion from a friend to the grandmother of the child.
After the registration, the student has remained home for more than two months without being allowed entry to the school as her classmates continue with preparations towards the BECE.
A letter addressed to the 14-year-old girl and signed by the headmaster of the school, Mr Shadrach Borketey, indicated that the school was focused on providing a conducive environment for studying, therefore, permitting a pregnant student to continue her studies in the same classroom as other pupils would hamper teaching and learning.
“As an educational institution, we are committed to providing an environment that fosters academic growth and personal development for all our students, however your current situation requires us to take this action.
Please know that we do not take this decision lightly, but it is necessary for several reasons, including ensuring the safety and wellbeing of both you and the unborn child. We want to make sure you have the time and space needed to focus on your health and upcoming changes in your life,” the letter read.
Reacting to the issue, Public Relations Officer of the GES, Ms Cassandra Twum-Ampofo, said girls who mistakenly get pregnant are allowed to attend school until they deliver.
Unless, doctors have advised that she stays out of school due to medical reasons, she added that such girls must continue with their education.
In a telephone interveiw with the Ghanaian Times, the Girl Education Coordinator of the Ga South Municipality, Ms Florence Antwi-Boasiako stated that her outfit was not aware of the issue, but assured that she would take immediate steps to ensure the right thing was done.
“We are not aware that this has happened, however, I am going to the school right away to investigate the matter and ensure it is resolved,” she added.
Grandmother of the girl, Veronica Numo in an interview with the Ghanaian Times confirmed that as at Monday April 22, 2024, the child had still not been recalled to resume lessons in the school.
This, she said bothered her because she could not afford the services of private teachers to teach her grandchild at home.
When contacted, proprietress of the school, Kate Otchere stood her grounds that she was not going to accept the child in the school and blamed her decision on a family friend of Madam Veronica who had called to warn her against her decision to deny the pregnant girl the chance to continue her education, especially when the BECE was few months away.
BY RAISSA SAMBOU
