Tamale, Jan 28, GNA – Stakeholders in education in the northern part of the country have called for the government to increase budgetary allocation for the implementation of the Re-entry Policy to enable pregnant girls to access formal education while protecting children.
They also want various state institutions implementing activities in line with the policy to harmonise these activities to prevent duplication, so that there would be judicious use of resources to achieve maximum results.
These are part of the recommendations made at a forum in Tamale, which was held to seek inputs of stakeholders towards effective implementation of the government’s Re-entry Policy and the Back to School Campaign.
The programme was organised by Africa Education Watch (EDUWATCH) with support from the STAR Ghana Foundation and the participants included chiefs, representatives from ActionAid Ghana, School for Life, Northern Network for Education Development, Centre for Active Learning and Integrated Development, Ghana Health Service, Ghana Education Service, Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana, Regional Coordinating Councils, Departments of Gender and Social Welfare.
The Re-entry Policy seeks to prevent pregnancy among school girls but if the pregnancy occurs, they are supported to go back to school.
It is estimated that about 100,000 girls get pregnant every year and just about 3,000 of them go back to school.
Challenges such as unsustainable funding, inadequate staffing, poverty, misconceptions and others have combined to make the implementation of the policy struggle and the forum sought views on how to turn the situation around.
Mr. Ibrahim Salia Adamu, Education Programme Coordinator of OXFAM in Ghana, underlined the need for the various stakeholders to work together to address the implementation challenges.
It was important for state institutions and other interest groups to collaborate with traditional authorities to work on the issues because teenage pregnancy also related to socio-cultural practices, which inhibited girls’ education.
Mrs. Wedadu Sayibu, Programme Manager of School for Life, said more should be done to make the school environment attractive to the girl-child
Dr. Peter Attafuah, Northern Regional Director of Education, said the advocacy to get pregnant girls back to school should also focus on men because they were the cause of the pregnancies.
Mr. Kofi Asare, Executive Director of EDUWATCH said similar forum had been held in the southern part of the country and issues raised would constitute a national position on what should be done to enhance the effectiveness of the policy.
He added that there would be high-level discussions with relevant ministries and institutions to strengthen institutional collaboration and emerging issues to protect girls.
GNA