Report on issues affecting girls education launched
A report on issues affecting girls' progression in Education in Ghana has revealed physical and verbal abuse as some of the obstacles hindering girls’ progress in school.
The report, dubbed “Sheltered yet exposed”, identified immediate family members as the highest perpetrators of such acts.
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Out of the 2,000 girls sampled for the survey, 80 per cent of the girls said they looked up to people in their immediate family, however, the data revealed that parents were the highest perpetrators of physical and verbal abuse.
The respondents were sampled across 15 junior and senior high schools within four regions in southern Ghana, from February 2019 to September 2021.
GEM survey
The report also indicated, among others, school-related gender-based violence, financial difficulties, stereotypical fears towards STEM subjects, sexual abuse, and related medical and mental health factors, as other factors affecting girls' progression in higher education.
The report was launched in Accra last Wednesday and was on the theme, “Creating a safe environment for girls to live, learn and lead: A responsibility for all”.
It was conducted by the Girls Excellence Movement (GEM), a non-governmental organisation, with support from United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Ghana and Canada.
Delivering findings of the report, a Researcher and Education Policy Analyst, Dr Peter Anti Partey, said 50.4 per cent of the respondents were being raised by guardians other than their biological parents and, therefore, are exposed to financial difficulties, which affected their academic work.
He said 43 per cent of the respondents had experienced one form of abuse, while 51.9 per cent of them had been sexually abused.
Dr Partey added that one in four girls were indicated to be in a non-platonic relationship with little or no sex education.
“About one in two girls also find mathematics and other STEM subjects difficult, though they aspire to have careers in the health and medical sciences.”
“Additionally, about 34 per cent of them want training to develop confidence,” he said.
Dr Partey recommended deliberate girl-focused institutional reforms in the education sector, particularly, in the area of guidance and counselling units in the pre-tertiary institutions.
“We further propose STEM focused interventions; increased parental attention to girls and involvement of religious and traditional leaders in creating awareness to build a society that values girls' education,” he said.
He also recommended the eradication of the 20 per cent tax on sanitary pad, stating that majority of the girls could not afford sanitary pads.
Holistic approach
Launching the report, the Presidential Advisor of Gender and Development, Dr Angela Asante-Essah, acknowledged the challenges faced by young girls and promised to convey the findings to relevant authorities.
The Founder and Executive Director of GEM, Juliana Ama Kplorfia and the Greater Accra Regional Director of Education, Monica Ankrah, who were at the launch, also called for a holistic approach to break the barriers hindering the progress of girls in school.