Conspicuous disparity still exists in access to education

An educationist has stated that there still exists a conspicuous disparity in access to education between boys and girls, the rich and the poor and among the geographic regions.

Miss Theresa Baah, Headmistress of Kumasi Girls Secondary School noted that at all grades and levels of education in Ghana, the enrolment of girls was invariably lower than that of boys.

Speaking at the celebration of the re-birth of the Kumasi metropolitan branch of the Ghana National Association of Teachers-Ladies Association (GNAT-LAS) at the weekend, Miss Baah said out of the 15 districts with the lowest ratio of female enrolment in primary schools, 14 were in the northern parts of the country.

Although female enrolment in basic education has been increasing, many more boys than girls get admitted to primary schools. The gap widens in favour of boys as children climb the education ladder.

Miss Baah identified some of the factors militating against the education of girls as geographic isolation and certain cultural practices such as Trokosi, early marriage, poverty, insufficient infrastructure and the shortage of teachers and said these combined had formed a complex web around girls.

She therefore, appealed to GNAT-LAS to help mount a sustained campaign of affirmative and proactive action to encourage and protect the continued education of the girl-child and any problem that may threaten their continuous and successful education.

Miss Baah called on the GNAT-LAS to work consistently and conscientiously hard and avoid giving excuses to absent themselves from school and asked them to grab the many chances that existed to further their studies.

"You must take these chances to advance yourselves so as to become role models for our children and promote the aims and objectives of the education reform programme."

Mrs Gladys Kwapong, the Metro Director of Education, told the lady teachers that women were capable of managing affairs better, when given the chance and therefore, charged all women to strive to attain higher positions.

She urged women to stop making excuses so as to stay away from school but must sacrifice and make sure that they worked like their male counterparts. Miss Victoria Osei, chairperson of Kumasi Metro GNAT-LAS, said the re-birth of the association followed the realisation that they were losing a lot by being dormant.

She therefore, urged her colleagues to get actively involved in all activities that would enhance the image of the teaching profession and regain the respect the public once had for teachers.