Editorial
Let’s address streetism together
Streetism in Ghana is becoming a serious problem that requires immediate attention to prevent it from getting worse.
These days, it is common to see mothers relaxing in the shade as their children as young as two years stroll along the streets begging for alms from oncoming vehicles and onlookers.
This typically occurs around busy intersections and thoroughfares, like the ring road, the Kwame Nkrumah Circle area, the Atomic Junction roundabout, and the airport area, among others.
Every day, more and more children are discovered living on the streets. This is unsafe and starting to become an annoyance, therefore action needs to be taken to stop the situation from getting worse.
The United Nations estimates that around 61,492 people under the age of 18 are on the streets in the Greater Accra region of Ghana alone.
Even though there has been progress in offering assistance and services to homeless children, there is still much work to be done to completely eradicate the issue.
In fact, a number of reasons have contributed to this threat, including the challenging socioe-economic conditions that families are facing, rising urbanisation, poverty, a lack of family support, divorce, family violence, low levels of education, and single parenting.
These children are more vulnerable to malnourishment, illness, and injury since they often do not have access to basic needs such as clothing, food, shelter, and healthcare. They are exposed to harsh weather, which frequently results in a range of ailments and health issues.
According to research, children who grow up on the streets are often the ones who take up social vices including drug addiction, prostitution, armed robbery, and other similar behaviours.
The Spectator believes that public education should be used to raise awareness of streetism’s detrimental effects on children’s development in order to combat it.
Furthermore, in order to effectively combat streetism, we implore the government, churches, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), the community, and philanthropists, among others, to grant access to social services.
In light of this, The Spectator praises the government for recently cutting the sod to allow for the development of a two-storey facility that will offer comprehensive care for street children in the nation’s capital.
The “Mother Teresa Soup Kitchen” (MTSK) is intended to provide the impoverished and homeless children living on Accra’s streets with at least one healthy meal per day in addition to counselling and skill development.
“This project hopes to take children off the street starting from this very community and propel it nationwide,” Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia stated when he cut the sod for the project,
He continued, “When this project takes off, Mother Teresa Soup Kitchen will be the biggest action by a private individual and an NGO against the menace of street children in Ghana.”
Let us work together to combat streetism throughout the nation.
Dear Editor,
Over the past few months, the ages of some drivers of commercial vehicles continue to baffle me.
This is common during weekends when one boards any of the commercial vehicles – be it trotros and okada.
I remember, I boarded a taxi from the Accra Central area towards the Kwame Nkrumah Circle area. When I sat in the vehicle, I realised the driver was a young boy. Specifically, he said he was 18.
I know our laws do not permit youth under the age of 21 to be driving; that is clearly against Ghana’s Road Traffic laws for operating commercial vehicles.
Some commuters have even had confrontations with station masters over the issue and have refused to board vehicles driven by underage individuals, despite the risk of arriving late for work.
This situation is deeply disturbing because it puts the lives of passengers and other road users at risk.
No matter how skilled such drivers may be, allowing underage persons to operate commercial vehicles is wrong and unlawful. Laws governing road safety are meant to protect lives, and ignoring them only increases the chances of accidents and loss of lives.
I therefore urge the relevant authorities, especially the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority, to strictly enforce the age requirements for commercial driving in the country.
Baba
Labadi
The advantages of focusing on girls have been evident over the years. However, current research indicates that the statistics pertaining to boys are still declining.
Approximately 69 percent of boys and 73 percent of girls finish primary school. While Senior High School (SHS) enrollment trends have lately changed, with females significantly outnumbering males (about 110 girls to every 100 boys), Junior High School (JHS) gender parity remains stable, with the Gender Parity Index (GPI) remaining between 1.00 and 1.03.
The Gender Parity Index (GPI) indicates parity between girls and boys.
Although encouraging education for girls is essential for Ghana’s development, the strong emphasis has unintentionally led to inequalities for boys.
Many stakeholders worry that affirmative action and unequal resource distribution put males at risk, which can occasionally lead to increased dropout rates and behavioural issues in specific neighbourhoods.
There has been a lot of discussion among Ghanaian sociologists and educators about the disproportionate support given to girls and how it affects boys.
They claim that the majority of scholarships and special facilities are frequently disproportionately given to girls, which boy child advocates contend makes young men feel ignored or disadvantaged.
Due to these differences, Apostle Professor Kwabena Agyapong-Kodua, Vice Chancellor of Pentecost University, has voiced serious concerns and is pushing for a deliberate discussion about the education and development of boys in order to build stronger families and societies.
The statement was made by Apostle Prof. Agyapong-Kodua during a seminar hosted by the Church of Pentecost Schools Outreach Ministry in Accra on May 16, which is International Day of the Boy Child.
It was organised in association with the Pentecost Men’s Ministry and the Ghana Education Service (GES) under the theme “Flourish and Thrive: Investing and Unleashing Boys for Strong Families and Communities.”
Apostle Prof. Agyapong-Kodua revealed that many young males are vulnerable due to inadequate mentoring, a decline in schooling, negative social media influences, and emotional neglect.
Additionally, he stated that the boy child faced numerous difficulties, including aggression, substance addiction, academic decline, emotional neglect, and the lack of strong role models, as a result of the focus shifting to the girl child.
He worries that since boys are essential to the development of the country, they should not be overlooked in discussions about leadership, education, family stability, and national reform.
The Spectator agrees with Apostle Prof. Agyapong-Kodua and believes that while it is important to train girls, neglecting boys can impede social advancement by causing differences in behaviour and education between young men and women.
“If we don’t make an effort social media will train our children for us. We’re not saying they shouldn’t use social media, but we should help them get the information they need to succeed in life,” he said.
The Spectator believes that the GES would adopt gender-responsive education in order to guarantee that classroom instruction meets the requirements of both boys and girls equally.
Let’s continue to be dedicated to making sure that no child is left behind.
