Hot!
‘Educate children on sexual and reproductive health’
Ms Kpan (second from right) with other speakers at the meeting
The officer in charge of girl-child education at the Ghana Education Service (GES) in the Upper West Region, Ms. Janet Kpan, has appealed to parents to provide sexual and reproductive health education (SRHE) to their children to prevent them from seeking the knowledge from their friends and peers.
Many parents, she said, had left the SRHE to only health workers and other stakeholders, including unqualified individuals such as their children’s peers, who mostly shared very unwholesome information with their colleagues.
She could not fathom why parents found it difficult to discuss reproductive health issues with their wards and shied away from mentioning the names of private parts and certain basic issues such as menstruation in front of their wards.
Ms. Kpan said this at Wa during a stakeholders’ meeting on sexual and reproductive health organised by youth advocacy groups on “Informed Choices for Change” (IC4C) in the Upper West Region at the behest of Norsaac, a Tamale based non-governmental organisation.
“Parents gave birth to the child; what education are they giving them on their sexual health? Most parents find it very difficult to give such education to their wards, but the child needs to know that when she begins to grow breasts, it is a sign of maturity, which will be followed by menstruation, at which point sleeping with a man could make her pregnant,” she said.
He indicated that boys also needed to know that early sex could
make them premature fathers and also cause them to acquire sexually transmitted diseases and infections (STD/Is).
“Most of our children in school are sexually active, and we must come to terms with that fact so that we can prevent them from indulging in early sex with its implications,” she said.
Ms. Kpan explained that to help protect the girls, the GES was working with health professionals who had been trained in that regard to create adolescent corners in some of the senior high schools to provide SRHE services to the students.
“Sex education in schools is helping to enlighten the young ones on how to abstain from sex if they want to avoid STD/Is and how to use condoms if they cannot abstain, but GES preaches abstinence to avoid pregnancy and other issues,” she said.
She indicated that educating adolescents on reproductive health and socio-cultural responses would enable them to understand their biological makeup as well as that of the opposite sex, and this, according to her, would help them develop themselves and avoid questionable bahaviours.
“Adolescent reproductive health issues are multifaceted and necessitate collaboration of various stakeholders in health, education, social welfare, media, religion, as well as women’s and children’s groups, among others,” she explained.
This, she said, would enable the stakeholders to achieve improved responsible sexual and health behaviour among adolescents and also offer the young ones the opportunity to learn more about transitioning from childhood to adulthood.
From Lydia Darlington Fordjour, Wa
Madam Sandra Seyram Kpedor, the District Chief Executive (DCE) of Anloga in the Volta Region, has emphasised the importance of parental involvement in children’s education, stating that education is free, but parents need to do more to support their children.
She said parents, teachers, and students must be involved in addressing the challenges facing the district’s education sector, particularly the poor Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results.
Madam Kpedor outlined some key roles parents should play to promote their children’s education, including providing a conducive learning environment, monitoring their children’s progress, and supporting teachers.
The DCE highlighted some challenges the district faced such as inadequate infrastructure and a shortage of teachers, which have also contributed to the poor BECE results and called on well-to-do parent to help solve the situation through and other supports.
To address the issues, she also announced that plans have been taken to utilise the district’s common fund to implement educational projects, such as constructing school blocks and teachers’ bungalows at Sodzi community, and 2-unit classroom blocks each at Akplorwutorkor and Tegbi-Afedome respectively, among others.
Madam Kpedor also noted that her office had earlier notified the Ministry of Education to deploy more teachers to the area to improve teaching and learning, and encouraged students to work hard and strive for excellence, and work beyond their limit to succeed.
“To my wonderful and beautiful girls, you have to know it clear that women and girls have equal opportunities to compete with men for greater achievements,” she indicated.
The DCE cited her own achievement as a testament to the fact that women can excel in leadership positions, alongside Vice President Nana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, and stressed that girls were no longer limited to domestic roles but can pursue their dreams and become leaders.
Additionally, she mentioned that a meeting was held earlier with assembly members, and other stakeholders to address the district’s educational challenges and improve academic performance.
She promised that the district’s education oversight committee and stakeholders would work together to address the challenges and improve the district’s BECE results and called for parental involvement and support to boost the district’s education sector for children to chase their dreams to become future leaders for the success of the district and the nation.
She urged parents not to leave everything to the government but rather help in the provision of some necessary materials such as textbooks, exercise books, pens, pencils, food, and guidance to children for the successes of young learners. –GNA
Join our WhatsApp Channel now!
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
The spokesperson for Dr. Bawumia, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, has criticised the implementation of the NDC government’s No Fee Stress policy, arguing that the programme has failed to deliver on its core promise.
According to him on Starr fm, the policy, which was introduced to ensure stress free payment of fees for level 100 tertiary students, has rather turned into what he described as post stress support.
He explained that students are required to pay their fees first before applying for reimbursement, a situation he believes defeats the purpose of the policy.
He questioned claims by government officials that the policy has been successful and that citizens are happy.
In his view, such claims do not reflect the lived realities of many Ghanaians. He stressed that while some people may appear satisfied, many others continue to struggle.
Dennis Miracles Aboagye pointed to the situation of trained teachers and nurses who have been picketing for nearly six months, demanding employment.
He noted that government responses suggesting it cannot accommodate all of them contradict claims of economic stability.
He further argued that economic indicators such as a stable currency mean little to people who are unable to secure jobs or access promised support.
He observed that telling an unemployed teacher or a struggling student that the cedi has strengthened does not address their immediate challenges.
On the issue of tertiary education, he maintained that no level 100 student benefited from stress free fees in 2025, despite the policy being announced.
He added that in 2026, students have already reported to school without receiving the promised support.
He insisted that asking students to pay fees first and seek reimbursement later amounts to support after hardship, not stress free education.
According to him, this approach goes against what was promised during the policy announcement.
Dennis Miracles Aboagye questioned why a government that presents the economy as strong is unable to fulfil what he described as simple and clear promises.
He added that there is a fundamental problem with the way the economy is being managed and indicated that he is prepared to explain his position further.
By: Jacob Aggrey
