Policy research and advocacy NGO, Africa Education Watch, has warned that more teenage girls are likely to get pregnant if schools remain closed.
This was from research conducted in 200 schools across the country, this included 100 junior high schools (JHS) and senior high school (SHS) during the reopening period for finalist.
Findings from the research found that 20 per cent of the schools sampled recorded cases of girls not returning to school because 85 per cent of the girls were pregnant and 15 per cent were early married.
The advocacy organisation believes this could spell doom for young girls in JHS and SHS.
Government has already announced that students at SHS 1 and JHS 1 below are to resume school in January 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, the organisation said, it is not recommending schools to be opened now in the midst of the pandemic but rather drawing the attention of government to critical issues.
“So we drew the attention of the government to critical issues relating to the reentry of pregnant girls into schools and the need for government to amend the current admission system within the free SHS so that the headmasters will have the permission to readmit these girls when they give birth,” it said.
According to the Executive Director of the Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asare, said the Fante district, Upper Manya, Bongo and Bolga were the areas noted for having high numbers of teenage pregnancy in the country.
He added that the focus of the research was to ensure that the policy prescription available to facilitate reentry of students after giving birth actually worked.
“If the reentry policy is not operational, it will be difficult for these girls to enter school after pregnancy”.
He further urged stakeholders, parents, society organisations and media houses to engage and educate these girls.
“It will make them more assertive and resistance to sexual violence and also improve their moral behaviour. Parents have a key role to play at the community level to ensure adequate engagement.
“Media has a role to play in generating and broadcasting content that will support responsible, moral and sexual lifestyles of these girls so that they don’t engage in activities that will get them pregnant as they remain at home”, he added.
Source: myjoyonline.com
