By Regina Benneh/ Benjamin Akoto
Sunyani, Oct. 17, GNA- Mr. Kwame Afram Denkyira, the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regions Programmes Manager of ActionAid Ghana (AAG), a non-governmental organization, has advocated the provision of the appropriate infrastructure to promote safe spaces for girls’ education.
According to him, AAG had been providing model school facilities in various communities across the country, including changing rooms for girls, saying this initiative was part of a larger advocacy effort to improve learning outcomes in public basic education.
He explained that those facilities served as models for girls’ schools, demonstrating how basic education facilities should be designed and implemented.
Mr. Denkyira made the call when he was speaking at a forum organised by the AAG to commemorate this year’s International Girl Child Day in Sunyani.
On the theme “Model Girls Schools: Promoting Safe Spaces for Girls’ Education and Leadership,” the forum brought together students, education officers, parents, guardians and girl advocates from the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regions.
Mr. Denkyira highlighted the challenges faced by girls in Ghana, saying that had informed the AAG’s advocacy for prioritizing girls’ education in development planning and implementation.
He mentioned the AAG had constructed two model girls’ schools with water facilities in the Bono and Ahafo Regions since the past five years, saying those interventions had significantly reduced the difficulties girls faced during their menstrual periods when at school.
Mr. Denkyira emphasized AAG had been supporting girls’ empowerment and advocacy platforms, such as girls’ clubs at both school and district levels.
He observed women and girls in Ghana continued to experience economic and political marginalisation, despite constituting most of the population at 59.7 per cent according to the Ghana Statistical Service 2021 report because 60 per cent of the public sector employees are males.
Dr. Gilbert Mensah, the acting Director of Information Technology at the University of Energy and Natural Resources emphasised the need for parents’ understanding of the internet space to guide and protect their children, particularly young girls from their associated negative effects.
Jennifer Darkoaa, a student at Sunyani Senior High School and a member of the Young Female Platform (YFP), shared her perspective on the challenges faced by girls and young women which hindered their progress in realizing their full potentials.
She expressed gratitude for the forum’s assistance in increasing her knowledge on internet safety, fostering partnerships with other girls and young women, and advocating better conditions that promote decent work, leadership, and a safe environment for all, especially women and girls.
GNA