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To reduce teenage pregnancy: Wa Youth Parliament supports girls to acquire vocational skills
● Some of the girls making beads
As part of efforts to promote adolescent reproductive health among females in the Wa East District, the Upper West Regional Youth Parliament has provided vocational skills in beads making to 31 teenage girls at Funsi as income generation venture for their upkeep.
The training which was sponsored by Plan International, Ghana, was in line with the quest of the Youth Parliament to empower adolescent girls and provide them with a source of income that would enable them purchase basic items such as sanitary pads during menstruation and stop depending on men.
Speaking to The Spectator Newspaper during the training, the Speaker of the Youth Parliament, Mr James Anabiga said the training was one of the interventions proposed to help teenage girls in the area meet their reproductive health needs as recommended in a study that was launched into adolescent and reproductive health issues by the Youth Parliament last year.
Titled “Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health in the Wa East District of the Upper West Region: A Synthesis of Research Evidence”: the study revealed that teenage pregnancy was high in the district because many girls depended on men for sanitary pads in exchange for sex whereas others who did not, relied on rags which got them stained frequently and prevented them from going to school during menstruation.
Mr Anabiga said the study proposed that aside supporting the girls with sanitary products, there was the need to empower them financially to meet those obligations without relying on men.
The Speaker noted that the training which was carried out by resource persons from Halu Memorial Fashion College was one of the ways to empower the girls to produce beaded items such as necklace, earrings, bracelets and waist beads for sale.
He said that as part of the interventions, some of the girls earlier received menstrual cups sponsored by ‘Could You?’, a nongovernmental Organisation in the United States of America and indicated that one cup could be used for up to 10 years before it was discarded hence would support beneficiaries till they were adults and financially capable to buy more.
“We also had separate meetings with stakeholders such as the Member of Parliament, Mr Godfred Jasaw, District Chief Executive, Dr Suleman Kandi and traditional rulers on how to handle the research findings which projected that teenage pregnancies were high in the district because boys supported girls with their sanitary needs and requested for sex in return”, he said.
He said all the interventions were aimed at reducing to the barest minimum issues around adolescent reproductive health such as teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.
Mr Anabiga said that 10 of the trainees would be given start-up materials to enable them set up mini businesses and produce more beaded items for sale for income generation and encouraged them to put the skill to good use to ensure that they were able to train others in the trade.
A beneficiary, Bawa Amina who spoke on behalf of her colleagues commended the youth parliament for the intervention, which according to her, would serve as a source of livelihood for them.
From Lydia Darlington Fordjou
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
