News
E/R: Boarding student delivers on campus, attempts to dump baby
A boarding student of Oyoko Methodist Senior High School (OMESS) in Koforidua has delivered a baby boy at a dormitory in the school.
According to sources, some of her mates heard a baby crying at dawn in the corridor of the dormitory.
They curiously moved out and to their surprise the student was carrying the baby to allegedly dump it into a nearby latrine on campus.
They alerted the senior house mistress who rushed to the scene to take the baby and mother to the Eastern Regional Hospital.
They were admitted and have been discharged.
Management of the school has informed and invited parents of the Arts -one(1) student to a meeting for a decision to be taken for the collective good of both mother and baby.
Teenage pregnancy cases in the Eastern region continue to increase.
The situation worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 when schools were shut down for nearly a year.
A total of over 10,000 teenage pregnancy cases were recorded in 2021 in the Eastern region, according to Ghana Health Service.
This has necessitated some interventions such as “back to school” where Ghana Education Service staff move to communities to encourage pregnant and teenage mothers to return to school.
In Akyemansa District for instance, “Safe and Protective Environment for Adolescent Development (SPREAD)” project is being implemented in 40 rural communities in the district by Ark Development Organization (ADO), an NGO with support from UNICEF in partnership with Global Affairs Canada to curb alarming teenage pregnancy, assist pregnant students and teen mother’s return to school.
“Cross your leg;100% cross your leg” is a slogan coined to cause behavioral change in that regard.
The project officer of Ark Development Organization, David Kwaning says 89 of 369 adolescent mothers recorded in 2020 have so far been identified for assistance to go back to school or enrolled in economic empowerment program or legal aid.
“Per what the Ghana Education Service gave us, we have about 369 adolescent mothers in the district as at 2020.so we are to identify them and then assist them in three ways. Some of them have to go back to school, others too need justice, other too need health assistance. So we have identified 89 of the Adolescent mothers” David Kwaning Project Officer said.
Meanwhile the NGO is initiating legal action against a man who took undue advantage of a 12 year old vulnerable girl who dropped out of school after her father died, exploited her in child labour, defiled and impregnated her.
The project has reached 1,577 out of target adolescents of 2000 with four months to end.
Source : Ghana/starrfm.com.gh/Kojo Ansah
The Vice Chancellor of the Pentecost University, Apostle Professor Kwabena Agyapong-Kodua, is advocating an intentional conversation about the development and education of the boy child in creating stronger families and societies.
According to him, the boy child must not be ignored in conversations on leadership, education, family stability and national transformation because they are key to national development.
“There is a reason why a boy child must not be denied opportunities like education; he is a future leader. When boys are trained well, society becomes safer and stronger,” he stated.
Apostle Prof. Agyapong-Kodua made the remark at a forum organised by the Church of Pentecost Schools Outreach Ministry in Accra to observe the International Day of the Boy Child observed on May 16.
It was held in collaboration with the Pentecost Men’s Ministry and the Ghana Education Service (GES), and under the theme: ‘Flourish and Thrive: Investing and Unleashing Boys for Strong Families and Communities.’
Leading the discussion, the Pentecost University Vice Chancellor warned that poor mentorship, declining in education, harmful social media influences and emotional neglect have made a lot of young boys vulnerable.
With a lot of the attention switching to the girl child, the boy child, he said was confronted with many challenges including violence, substance abuse, educational decline, emotional neglect and the absence of positive role models.
According to Apostle Prof. Agyapong-Kodua, he noted that boys were turning to social media for direction due to the absence of fathers and mentors to help shape their lives.
“If we are not intentional, social media will mentor our children for us. We are not saying they should not use social media, but they should be guided to access the right information to excel in life,” he stated.
Prof. Agyapong-Kodua urged society to encourage boys to become creators of technology rather than mere consumers.
Contributing, Madam Gifty Asiedu, Director of the Girls’ Education Unit at the GES Headquarters, said the service remained committed to ensuring that no child was left behind, adding that, “supporting the boy child should not come at the expense of progress made in girl-child education.”
“If you focus intentionally on one gender and neglect the other, you create a societal problem,” she underlined.
She said the GES had observed some decline in boys’ retention in school, although the gap between boys and girls was not yet too wide.
“Over the years, attention has been focused on the girl child and we have seen the benefits. However, data now show that the statistics concerning the boy child continue to decline,” she indicated.
She explained that the service was implementing gender-responsive education to ensure that classroom teaching addressed the needs of both boys and girls equally.
Elder Barima Acheampong Sarpong II, Deputy Director of the Pentecost Men’s Ministry and Chief of Asante Asaman in the Ashanti Region, said society needed to critically examine the plight of boys.
“As we celebrate the International Day for the Boy Child, I urge every man to identify one boy child, find out how he is doing and dedicate some time to mentoring him,” he explained.
The programme, attended by educators, church leaders and policymakers, was the second edition following a partnership initiated last year between the Schools Outreach Ministry, the Pentecost Men’s Ministry and the GES.
It sought to improve school enrolment, completion rates and learning outcomes among boys so they could grow into responsible men who would build strong families and communities.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
Candidates that wrote the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in Ho Municipality are hopeful of obtaining good grades to make everyone especially their parents and the Regional Minister proud.
The candidates said they had so far sat the examination with focus and integrity after a call from Mr James Gunu, Regional Minister to avoid examination malpractice saying, they expected great performance upon release of results.
Mr Gunu, at the start of this year’s BECE delivered the message during a monitoring visit to some centres in the municipality including Ho Kpodzi EP Basic A School, Mawuli School, Mawuko Girls Senior High School (SHS), and Kabore School.
He urged the candidates to rely on hard work and discipline, warning that shortcuts could jeopardise their future.
“Stay focused and give your best in this year’s BECE – your determination and hard work will pay off. Avoid shortcuts and examination malpractice; integrity matters just as much as success,” he said.
The Minister, accompanied by the Ho Municipal Chief Executive, the acting Volta Regional Director of Education, and the Ho Municipal Director of Education, encouraged candidates to view the exam as a foundation for their academic journey and to celebrate responsibly after the final paper, commending parents, guardians, teachers, and officials of the Ghana Education Service for their support in preparing the candidates.
Candidates at some of the centres Ghana News Agency visited, echoed the call for honesty and high standards.
At Kabore School, Ms Francisca Atsu of Sokode Lokoe MA Basic School said, “The Regional Minister was here earlier to speak to us and also to encourage us. We’ve done our best. I assure him that we will make him and our parents proud.”
At Taviefe SHS Centre, Ms Valentina Sakpla of Taviefe R.C Basic School added, “We are expecting good results to make everyone proud and for our own good.”
Mr David Dotse, Supervisor at Kabore School, hosting 11 schools, with a standby ambulance on site to cater for any health emergency, reported smooth proceedings. –GNA
