The acting Central regional Director of Health Dr. Stephen Anyomi has disclosed that teachers at the Primary and Secondary School levels are responsible for 5.9% of teenage pregnancies within the region.

Out of 12,048 teenage pregnancies in the region, 301 were impregnated by teachers. However, the 12,048 figure is a slight drop from the previous year’s figure of over 14,000 cases.

Dr. Anyomi who made this revelation during the opening ceremony for the service’s annual review underway at the University of Cape Coast [UCC], said though there have been a slight decline in the number of recorded cases of teenage pregnancies, the region’s current standing in ratings of the menace is still alarming.

Giving details of a survey by the Ghana Health Service and the regional desk of the Department of Gender between July and December of 2016, Dr. Anyomi described the preliminary findings of the survey as interesting.

“Some 986 small scale farmers representing 19.6%, drivers contributed 13.2% and small scale miners had 7.8%.

“The rest include the unemployed; who stood at 6.9% with primary and secondary school teachers claiming 5.9% of teenage pregnancies within the region,” he narrated.

He said that there is a strong need for change in sexual behaviour in the region as high cases of HIV/AIDS and teenage pregnancies continue to be recorded.

He noted that though the service was ready to step up public education, individuals within the region need to change.

According to the 2014 bio-demographic and health survey findings, men within the region were the most likely to have had multiple sexual partners in the twelve months preceding the survey while women in the region were the second most likely to have had sexual intercourse with two or more sexual partners within the same period.