Editorial
Changing the narrative of sex through sex education
Let’s make sex education compulsory
Dear Editor,
In Ghanaian society, issues relating to sex are not often talked about in our homes: Just, the mention of sex then you will see mama looking sternly at you. In some societies the mention of it is a taboo, but the question is if these issues are not addressed by our own parents, then who should we run to, to make informed decisions on sexual matters. Is it when the girl-child is being influenced by peers to practise it as a form of satisfying her curiosity? Or when the boy-child under the influence of friends practises it to show how manly he is?
This is a million-dollar question begging for an answer. According to research, comprehensive sex education, (which emphasises the benefits of abstinence while also teaching about contraceptives and disease-prevention methods) has been proven to reduce teen pregnancy and STD infection. Thus, sex education explores values and beliefs about those topics and helps people gain the skills that are needed to navigate relationships with self, partners, community and manage one’s own sexual health and to create awareness of its consequences of unwanted pregnancy, early parenting and others if not done safely.
Sex education highlights hygiene issues. It becomes more important for young people to keep their bodies clean at puberty. Comprehensive sexual education provides essential information about how people can maintain their hygiene. Since not all parents can instruct their children on these methods and may be embarrassing to talk about these issues with children. Sex education helps young people to understand what is normal. Adolescents do face a hard time when hitting puberty. They often take certain things as abnormal. Sex education helps them to understand that their body is changing physically.
In an interview with Mrs Helena Dickson, a Counsellor and Midwife with Pentecost Hospital at Tarkwa in the Western Region, she states that “not only does sex education have to be introduced at the early stage in adolescent life but its abstinence, too. She explained further that, at that stage they were so eager to engage in boyfriend-girlfriend relationship with the aim of knowing and feeling what sex entailed and this occurred because of the hormonal change in adolescents. Adolescents need to be educated about the consequences of sex so they don’t become pregnant”.
She added that this education would alert the young girls to be extra careful in their lives and slow down the eagerness to feel for sex. The education will let them know that these feelings they sometimes experience are normal but it behoves on them to control themselves not to fall into temptation.
She concluded that diversional therapy like playing football, ampe, ludo, oware and others could be introduced when they felt for sex.
In conclusion, sex education is an important aspect in every adolescent life, so parents should be open for discussion when issues about sex are introduced by their wards. It should be made a subject in the secondary school just as physical education.
Alice Mensah
Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ)
Dear Editor,
I wish to use this esteemed platform to urge the traditional councils of Osu and La to call for independent investigation into the recent demolition exercise at Kaajaano.
The exercise rendered hundreds homeless.
Information about the reason for the demolition has been scanty with those desiring to know feeding heavily on social media posts.
One particular name –Jato, has been associated with it but under whose instruction the exercise was carried is also not known.
Sadly, instead of getting to know who ordered the demolition and for what reasons, traditional authorities of Osu and La have been embroiled in a tug-of-war over ownership of the said land.
This is premature. At this moment, they should call for investigation into the exercise to know the people behind it.
When that is done, then discussions about the owners of the site can begin. That would end the posture of the two neighbouring town which has the potential to turn into something else.
Ataa Osa Mensah,
Osu
Dear Editor,
I wish to use your respected platform to draw the attention of the Bank of Ghana (BoG) to the behaviour of traders and some drivers about the use of lower denomination coins, specifically the 20 and 10 pesewas.
About two weeks ago, I read in your sister newspaper, The Ghanaian Times about this problem and the caution that followed from the BoG and some economic analysts.
The warning they gave was that the continuous rejection of the notes could create pricing problems which can eventually affect inflation.
I thought that would put to bed that practice or refusal to accept the coins when given out as change or use to pay for particular service.
Unfortunately, the problem still persist among traders, drivers, customers and passengers alike. Only last week, there was as altercation in the Accra Central area where a woman refused to accept five 20 pesewas note totaling one cedi.
As the argument continued, the trader decided not to sell to the customer again after by-standers explained to her that it was still a legal tender and those that refused it could become offenders.
This is an issue the BoG and other regulatory agencies must go and explain to the people and let them know that it is unlawful not to accept a currency that is still in use.
It nothing was done, it could create a much more serious problems.
Mary Osei Badu,
Swedru
