The Executive Director of National Population Council (NPC), Dr Leticia Adelaide Appiah has advised female pupils of Adumasa in the Akwamu traditional area in the Eastern Region to avoid immoral behaviours and remain focused in their education.
She urged parents to be vigilant in ensuring good morals among their female children to enable them to achieve their goals.
According to her, engaging in immoral lifestyles such as pre-marital sex mostly led to teenage pregnancies with negative repercussions on the girls, families, society and the nation at large.
Dr Appiah made these remarks while addressing the Gyakiti Circuit Girl Child durbar at Adjena-Gyakiti Oak Palace, Adumasa in the Asuogyaman District.
It was held on the theme, ‘Educate a girl and she can change the world around her’.
She said that investing in girl child education was one of the priceless investment by parents that would have impact on society.
She urged all stakeholders to play significant roles in championing the girl child education, particularly in deprived communities for them to be responsible citizens in the society.
The Executive Director of NPC defined education as a process of harnessing girls’ God-given talents for both personal and national development.
She said there was the need to empower, encourage and provide the educational needs of girls, adding, “Girls have the prime right to have access to quality education because a developing nation thrives on educating a girl child”.
She explained that planting a seed for a good harvest was akin to educating the girl to change the world around her, adding that, “The seedling must be protected in order to be matured enough to withstand the harsh condition and survive, as applicable to girl child education.”
Dr Appiah reiterated that every human needs oxygen to survive in the world, similarly, every community needs relevant education to change and thrive.
She further pleaded with Nana Ansah Kwao IV, Chief of Adumasa to continue championing the fight against teenage pregnancy in Adumasa and to sanction perpetrators of teenage pregnancy.
Dr Appiah indicated that, adolescent childbearing has remained at 14 per cent since 1998 and teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19 contribute to 9.1 per cent of Ghana’s total fertility and have the highest unmet need for family planning at 50.7 per cent.
Child marriage she said, also remains high at 27 per cent with Upper East having the highest prevalence of 39.2 per cent.
She highlighted that, teenage pregnancy however, permanently put girls in a position where they unfortunately take more from society than they can contribute to national development.
Dr Appiah said teenage mothers heavily depended on healthcare because they normally have the low birth weights, pre-term babies, malnourished children, stunted children among others.
The Executive Director said matured and healthy mothers produced healthy offspring with better educational outcomes who would be more productive in life.
Addressing the participants, Mrs Theodora Kutorkor A. Entee, District Director of Education at the Asuogyaman District Education Office lauded the efforts of Nana Ansah Kwao IV for promoting girl child education in Adumasa.
Nana Ansah Kwao IV expressed his gratitude to the speakers, advised the girls to add value to their lives and promised to help improve quality education among girls in the community.
FROM ALFRED NII ARDAY ANKRAH
