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Lactating, pregnant school girls write BECE in Afadzato South
It would be of interest to know that pregnant pupils and lactating young mothers no longer shy away from participating actively in academic work.
Among the 1,301 candidates who sat the just-ended Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE) in the Afadzato South District of the Volta Region were 14 lactating mothers and five pregnant girls.
In all, 1,313 candidates made up of 689 boys and 624 girls were expected to sit for the papers but 12 could not turn up for the examinations which took place at four centres.
The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the District Directorate of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Mr Michael Homenyo disclosed these to The Spectator here on Monday.
He cited instance in which relatives of some of the lactating mothers brought their babies to the examination centres to be breast-fed by during the breaks between the papers.
According to him, there were 12 nursing mothers at the Agate centre, two at the Ve-Golokuati centre, while the centres at Logba and Leklebi recorded no such cases.
There were also three pregnant girls at the Agate centre, one at Ve-Golokuati and another one at Leklebi, the PRO added.
That, notwithstanding, Mr Homenyo said that the examinations took place smoothly without any untoward incident.
Meanwhile, the candidate who was nine months pregnant at a centre in the Ho-West District, compelling the district directorate of the GES to provide stand-by vehicle at the centre, just in case she went into labour to able to finish her papers without any problems.
“We are yet to find out whether she has given birth or not,” the District Director of Education Madam Celestine Korsi-Agordo told this reporter.
From Alberto Mario Noretti, Ve-Golokuati
Mrs Patience Antonio, a Child and Family Development Advocate, has called for a national campaign to reduce the growing reliance on breast milk substitutes among nursing mothers in Ghana.
According to Mrs Antonio, scientific evidence shows that breastfeeding improves a child’s emotional stability, boosts intelligence, strengthens the immune system, and provides long-term health benefits. She made these remarks in an interview with The Spectator in Accra last week, emphasizing the importance of breastfeeding for a child’s overall development.
She explained that breastfeeding is not just a biological act of feeding but a key emotional and developmental bridge between mother and child. She also highlighted the need for the recommended six-month maternity leave period to ease the pressure on mothers to return to work prematurely.
“Breastfeeding creates intimacy and trust. It assures the baby of love and security, which becomes the foundation for their emotional health,” Mrs Antonio noted, warning that abandoning exclusive breastfeeding could have long-term implications on children’s social and emotional wellbeing.
Consequently, she called for a minimum of five months of fully paid maternity leave for Ghanaian mothers to enable effective breastfeeding, bonding, and healthier child development. She also urged workplaces to implement family-friendly policies, including private spaces for breastfeeding, flexible working arrangements for nursing mothers, and stronger support systems for new parents.
Mrs Antonio further encouraged families and society to actively support mothers during breastfeeding, stressing that many women struggle due to lack of assistance at home or the pressure to return to work too soon. She emphasized, “If we want a healthier, emotionally stable generation, then we must make breastfeeding a priority and support mothers to do it without stress.”
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
Spectator
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The Nanvili Community School in the Mion District of the Northern Region is facing severe infrastructural challenges, affecting teaching and learning for pupils in the area.
The school, which serves five surrounding communities with a total of 58 pupils, has deteriorated to the extent that many children have stopped attending classes. Poor classroom conditions and the lack of desks have made teaching and learning difficult. During a visit to the school, the gate-free classrooms were found filled with goat and sheep droppings.
During the rainy season, both teachers and pupils are often cut off from the school due to bad roads and flooding. Teaching activities are frequently suspended for weeks, negatively affecting academic performance.
The Assemblyman for the area, Mr. Dawuni Mutawakil, expressed concern, noting that the situation is worrying since these pupils are expected to compete with their counterparts in urban areas who have access to better facilities. He added that due to limited space, classes have been merged, with pupils from Primary One and Two, Three and Four, and Five and Six sharing the same classrooms.
The Chief of Nanvili, Abu Kassim, also appealed to the government and non-governmental organisations to come to the aid of the community. He emphasized that the current state of the school discourages children from nearby communities from attending.
Both the Chief and Assemblyman have called for urgent intervention to improve infrastructure and provide furniture for the pupils to ensure quality education for children in the Nanvili area.
By Geoffrey Buta, Nanvili, Northern Region
Spectator
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