Teach Children About Sex

The Central Regional Girl Education Officer of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Miss Barbara. V. Abban, has hinted that the traditional attitudes against sending girls to school are gradually changing especially with the enrollment and retention of girls in schools.

She said the situation has improved to the extent that in many schools particularly in the rural areas, girls now outnumber boys in almost all classes.

Miss Abban gave the hint when she addressed the first ordinary session of the Agona District Assembly at Agona Swedru recently. She explained that the period of change from childhood to adulthood is a healthy transitional period, during which they learn values and skills that will benefit them as future parents, heads of households and workers who would be contributing to all sectors of the society.

However she disclosed that because these adolescents lack the requisite information on sex, this is creating unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions, infections with sexual transmitted diseases (STDs), drug abuse and armed robbery in the society.

The Girl Education Officer pointed out that most of these risks could be prevented if parents, opinion leaders and policy makers would be bold enough to inform the young people about sex and its effects, instead of thinking that by telling them things about sex it will lead to immorality.

As a result, she noted that the society now faces unnecessary human and social cost and the need to protect adolescent sexual health has been recognised by government in international treaties and agreements such as the "convention on the child".

Miss Abban therefore called on the assembly to enact bye-laws with sanctions on video/Cinema shows, wake-keeping, funerals and pupils who roam about in town after 8.00 pm and ensure that their parents assist them to learn.

She also appealed to parents to avoid early marriage and teenage pregnancy as these are factors that lead to the prevalence of HIV/AIDS and are likely to erode the achievement made in the area of education and thus reducing enrolment of pupils in schools.