Nkoranza South District Directorate of Education in collaboration with Ghana Health Service, has organised a forum to educate students and staff of Nkoranza Technical Institute on adolescent reproductive issues.

Topics discussed were; “Causes and effects of pre-marital sexual practices”, “Sexually transmitted infections (STI’s)”, “Unsafe abortions” and “The HIV/AIDS pandemic”.

Madam Comfort Kokor Kwame, Nkoranza South District public health nurse, cautioned the Youth against pre-marital sex to avoid contracting Sexually Transmitted Diseases(STD).

She cautioned that persons who contracted STD’s stood the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS, hence the public should be very cautious about their sexual practices and adventures.

HIV/AIDS is real and you should abstain from casual sex and take your studies seriously in order to become responsible leaders in future, she advised the students.

Mr. Kwasi Djan, Coordinator of Nkoranza South District School Health Education Programme (SHEP), emphasised that sex was meant for married couples and cautioned the students against pre-marital sex as fun.

He also advised the students against other negative practices such as hard drug use and alcoholism, which he said, apart from being injurious to health, could also adversely affect their education.

The co-ordinator appealed to parents and guardians to monitor the movements of their children and wards to prevent them from falling into bad company.

Mr. Albert Adusei, Principal of the Institute, expressed gratitude to the organizers of the forum and urged the students to be guided by what they had learnt.

In another development, Nana Agyemang Duah, chief of New-Sawireso in Asunafo South district of Brong-Ahafo, has expressed concern about the indiscriminate showing of pornographic films on television and at video centres, as well as the airing of profane songs on some radio stations.

He stressed that the exposure of the youth, especially school-children, to such unhealthy films and songs “promote sexual promiscuity, which is a major contributory factor to the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS”.

The chief was addressing about 500 pupils at a special educational programme organised by the traditional authorities at New-Sawireso.

According to Nana Duah, children were more likely to experiment what they see or hear hence the need for the authorities to ensure that pornographic films, profane songs and other unproductive programmes were completely taken off the television and radio.

He advised school girls not to beg or accept money and other forms of gifts from boys and men neither should they enter the bedrooms of male counterparts to avoid any form of sexual encounter.

Nana Duah charged the children to focus their attention on their education as the best guarantee to ensure a better future.