The Africa Education Watch has sounded the alarm over a rising number of children in northern Ghana leaving school to engage in betting and driving school work, with economic pressures and parental influence identified as major drivers.

Speaking on Morning Starr with Naa Dedei Tettey on Monday, December 15, 2025, Dr Peter Attafuah, Senior Education Advisor at Africa Education Watch, noted that children aged 14 to 17 are increasingly being pulled out of classrooms for activities that provide quick income.

“Some of them go there and bring the money that they get daily to feed their family…they think that they are the breadwinners, and they must go out there to fight for themselves and bring money home,” he said.

Dr Attafuah explained that despite interventions following a 2021 study, the numbers continue to rise due to poverty and financial necessity.

“The same reasons that people find themselves in the Galapagos area in the south apply to those in the north. It’s all about money. They need money in their pockets, and they think that’s a quick means of getting money,” he added.

He called for a coordinated approach involving government action, NGO support, and community engagement to address the problem.

“Aside that, we need NGOs to also come in to help. We need philanthropies to come in and also support. And even the families themselves must also get up and be doing something,” Dr Attafuah urged.

The advisor emphasised that tackling this issue is critical not only for ensuring children receive formal education but also for safeguarding long-term national development.