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Parents urged to take responsibility for sex education

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 Dr Francis Wuobar, A Gynaecologist at the Eastern Regional Hospital in Koforidua, has urged parents to take the lead in providing sex educa­tion to their children, stressing that they were in the best position to guide them through the changes of adoles­cence.

According to him, sex education remained a taboo subject in most Ghanaian homes, a culture that must change to prevent children from seek­ing misleading information elsewhere.

“With the evolving nature of soci­ety and technological advancements, today’s children will either learn about sex on the internet or from their peers, who may offer wrong advice,” he cautioned.

Dr Wuobar noted that the health sys­tem and society often concentrate on the reproductive stage of life, neglect­ing the adolescent and menopaus­al phases.

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“When a woman reaches the reproductive period and gets pregnant, everyone rallies around her. But before that stage, during adolescence, there is little attention and guidance, which has con­tributed to the rising cases of teenage pregnancy,” he explained.

He further observed that many adolescents lack access to counselling and adoles­cent clinics, creating a vacuum that forces them to explore on their own.

“The answers they seek, adults and par­ents are not willing to provide. Their peers, who are equally unin­formed, become their only source of advice. This exploration is one of the major contribu­tors to teenage preg­nancy,” he elaborated.

Dr Wuobar, therefore, called on parents to cre­ate open and confi­dential spaces for discussion, where children can freely ask questions about sex, puberty, and relationships.

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Moreover, he emphasised that par­ents must help adolescents understand the consequences of unprotected sex, the changes they go through, and what choices were right or wrong.

“Today’s generation is curious and asks questions, unlike in the past when children were silent. Parents should not rebuke them but rather engage them seriously and guide them through this turbulent stage,” he advised.

He again appealed to the health sec­tor to establish more adolescent clin­ics across the country to give young people safe spaces to seek information and counselling.

That, he emphasised, would help reduce the high incidence of teenage pregnancy and support adolescents in making informed decisions about their sexual health.

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  •  From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman, Koforidua


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Ghana Post launches ‘Skool Box’ initiative

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Mrs Rita Sraha (fourth from left) together with Ghana Post regional MDs launching the SKOOLBOX initiative

Ghana Post on Tuesday launched the ‘Skool Box’ initiative, one aimed at supporting education and delivery services to students in Accra.

The initiative forms part of Ghana Post’s broader transformation agenda to diversify its services and provide innovative solutions to everyday challenges faced by Ghanaians.

Launching the initiative, the Managing Director of the company, Mrs Rita Sraha, said the idea was inspired by the practical difficulties students and parents often faced in transporting school items, particularly at the beginning of the academic term.

According to her, the increasing space constraints in schools also makes it difficult for students to carry large quantities of belongings with them, creating the need for parents to find alternative ways of sending additional items to their children.

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Mrs Sraha said the initiative aligns with the broader national agenda of using digital technology and innovation to expand opportunities, improve public services and strengthen Ghana’s economic capabilities.

The Managing Director however, stressed that the success of the initiative would depend on Ghana Post’s willingness to listen to users, learn from experience and continuously improve the service.

Mrs Sraha explained that Ghana Post was gradually expanding beyond its traditional postal operations through partnerships and services in areas including last-mile delivery, agency banking, logistics and insurance.

She said the School Box Service was another example of how the organisation was using its institutional capabilities to develop solutions to practical challenges within communities.

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The Acting Chief Commercial Officer of Ghana Post, Mr Benard Yaw Atta-Sonno, said the service was designed to provide convenient and reliable delivery of school-related items while creating new business opportunities within the education sector.

According to him, the company was also strengthening its focus on digitalisation, customer experience, strategic partnerships and data-driven commercial decision-making.

“Our objective is clear: to build multiple sustainable revenue streams around the assets and capabilities that Ghana Post already possesses, while developing new capabilities for emerging markets,” he said.

He explained that, in the short term, the initiatives were expected to increase transaction volumes, improve the digitalisation of the company’s network, attract new customer segments and generate additional revenue from services that complemented its traditional postal operations.

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He noted that the School Box, in particular, provided an opportunity for Ghana Post to develop recurring business around the annual school cycle, while creating opportunities to cross-sell other logistics and delivery services.

The launch forms part of Ghana Post’s wider efforts to modernise its operations and position the company as a diversified logistics and service provider beyond its traditional postal business.

By Linda Abrefi Wadie

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Don’t turn students away over trunks and chop boxes -GES

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Some students with their trunks

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has asked heads of schools not to turn away newly admitted students or refuse to accommodate them over metal trunks or wooden chop boxes.

“These practices may impose unnecessary financial burdens on parents and guardians who may be unable to afford alternative storage containers prescribed by individual schools,” the GES said in a statement.

“All students admitted to boarding accommodation should be treated fairly and accommodated without discrimination based on their economic circumstances or ability of their parents or guardians to purchase a particular brand or type of personal effects.”

The statement, signed by Professor Mrs Smile Dzisi, the Deputy GES Director-General, comes after Management of the Service received reports that some senior high schools and senior high technical schools (SHS/SHTS) were turning newly admitted students or refusing to accommodate them because they brought metal trunks, wooden chop boxes or other personal storage containers to school.

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Consequently, the GES has asked regional directors to inform all heads to desist from turning away or refusing admissions to duly admitted students solely on the basis of the type of trunk, chop box, or personal storage container they bought to school.

Provided the item was reasonably sized, safe and did not pose risk to the health, safety or welfare of other students, those students must not be refused accommodation, it added.

The statement said: “Any reported case of a duly admitted student being denied accommodation or turned away solely because of the type of trunk, chop box or personal storage container brought to school should be investigated and same reported to management.”

“Any head of SHS/SHSTS who flouts this directive shall be dealt with in accordance with the applicable standards, regulation and laws of the service.” –GNA

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