Day: January 23, 2024

The Bawku West District in the Upper East Region has recorded a decline in teenage pregnancy from 32 to eight between 2022 and 2023.

In 2018, the district recorded five teenage pregnancies, which increased to 14 in 2019, while 2020 and 2021 both recorded 30 teenage pregnancies.

The number increased to 32 in 2022 and dropped drastically to eight in 2023.

Madam Grace Ayendago, the Girl Child Coordinator for the District, disclosed the figures to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in a sideline interview at a programme organized by the Haven of Love Children Foundation to present sanitary pads to pupils within the Teshie Circuit in the District.

She attributed the reduction to the Foundation’s sexual and reproductive health education, and mentorship programmes in basic schools to educate pupils on the effects of teenage pregnancy and the need for them to concentrate on their studies in school.

The Haven of Love Children Foundation is a Non-Governmental Christian organization which had over the years organized edu
cative programmes across the district including a five-day intensive mentorship programme for 5,000 pupils and their parents.

According to Madam Ayendago, ‘The number was increasing, but because Haven of Love Children Foundation engaged the adolescents, we have seen that the number has started decreasing, especially in communities that the Foundation worked in. In fact, their work is yielding results.’

She said several factors including mining activities in the district contributed to teenage pregnancy in communities, ‘Most of the teenage girls go to these mining sites, and girls who visit the sites come with pregnancies.

‘That is what is happening in communities such as Teshie, Winaba, Kusanaba, Zongoyire and Binaba. We have mining activities there, and that is what is contributing to the teenage pregnancy,’ the coordinator said.

She observed that some of the teenagers, especially those in the mining communities were not interested in education, ‘If you visit the mining sites, you will find them there.

‘They have mobile phones that they do not use to study, but rather watch irrelevant materials that will not benefit them,’ Madam Ayendago added.

The coordinator partly blamed parents for not paying critical attention to their teenage girls who were uninformed about their menstrual cycles and ended up with pregnancies.

‘Some of the girls depend on wrong information from their friends about their menstrual cycles, and that is dangerous,’ she said, and called on parents in the district to pay critical attention to the upbringing of their children.

Mr Samuel Nana Bekai Djirackor, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Haven of Love Children Foundation, told the GNA that the Foundation loved and treasured children, and would continue to work in their interest.

‘I am sure the five-day mentorship programme contributed to the success and decline in the number of teenage pregnancies in the district as indicated by the Girl Child Coordinator. By the grace of God, Haven of Love Children Foundation is doing a
lot, and we thank all the people who continue to support us,’ he said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Campaign Against Privatisation and Commercialization of Education (CAPCOE) has called for the alignment of Ghana’s education system with the economic needs of the country.

Mr Richard Kovey, the convener of CAPCOE, stated in an interview with the Ghana News Agency that it was critical that the educational system become directly responsive to Ghana’s economic development.

Mr Kovey said the need to have a curriculum that largely supported skills training rather than theory could not be overemphasised, indicating that that was the only way to add the needed value to the country’s natural resources.

He stressed that, just like in other countries, such as China, having skilled training would lead to the nurturing of inventors and problem solvers, not just academic scholars.

He said it was not enough to train and examine students only theoretically; rather, the inclusion of practical projects to evaluate their creativity and innovation was very important.

He raised concerns about the education system’s ina
bility to guide and redirect children’s energy towards positive ventures during their formative years.?

He noted that such an approach would replace the popular ‘chew and pour’ learning system and encourage a hands-on, practical approach to learning.

The CAPCOE convener said the theoretical assessment of students had led to students relying on cheating with others, thinking they had the right to practice examination malpractices.

He lamented that the situation was so worrying that students were even provided with past questions to study in a bid to pass examinations while they graduated and became ‘wait-for-instructions employees.’

Mr Kovey attributed the focus on theory teaching to inadequate funding for tools and equipment for practical teaching, resulting in graduates possessing theoretical knowledge but lacking practical skills.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Dagliga Primary School in the Nabdam District of the Upper East Region has been renovated following the Ghana News Agency’s (GNA) report on the deplorable state of the school.

The school had its painting, windows, doors, and parts of chalk board removed with visible cracks on its walls and has now been renovated and reconnected to the national grid.

The renovation of the school was done by the Nabdam District Assembly under the Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion (SOCO) project.

Under the project, the Assembly has started construction of roads linking communities such as Logre and Zanlerigu, among others, to the school and other surrounding schools.

It would be recalled that on February 15, 2023, GNA carried a report about the deplorable state of the school that posed threat to teachers and students and drawing back academic activities.

Also on March 9, 2023, GNA also reported on how illegal miners destroyed the only football field of the Dagliga cluster of schools and major footpaths to
the schools.

Mr Roger Atidoor, Headteacher of the school when contacted, expressed gratitude to the Assembly and managers of the SOCO project, and commended GNA for the reportage that led to the renovation of the school.

‘I should be the happiest person today, and this has come through the efforts of GNA. How your story was captured and caught the attention of everyone is what has resulted in what we are seeing today, and so we are grateful to you for the impactful reports,’ he added.

Mr Atidoor emphasized that the Nabdam District Assembly, as implementers of the SOCO project, had done very well and deserved commendation.

‘I must thank Madam Agnes Anamoo, the District Chief Executive, who is a mother and will continue to be so, for her effort in getting the school renovated. Before the renovation, I believe she might have been fed up with me because there was no single day, I would not call her and sometimes go to her office,’ he noted.

The Headteacher, however, appealed for a kitchen structure to facili
tate the cooking of meals for the students as the existing mud structure, which was near collapse, was demolished to pave way for the road’s construction.

He called on the people of the Dagliga community to guard against the destruction of any property of the school to ensure its full utilization by the students.

Mr Maxwell Divom, the Assemblyman of the Zanlerigu Dagliga Electoral Area, said the renovation of the school had brought relief to students and teachers and would help improve academic activities.

‘Due to the deplorable nature of the place, it became a habitat for reptiles, making it inconducive for academic work, and so, with this renovation, it has brought great relief to us.

‘I must thank the GNA for your effort because, through your report, Lively Minds, which is an NGO, also expressed interest in renovating the school, but plans were far advanced by the Assembly to renovate the school, and so as a community, we are very grateful to you (GNA), the Nabdam District Assembly and the government,
for the gesture,’ he added.

Source: Ghana News Agency