Agona-Ahanta (Western Region), 1 Oct., Some 41 females who entered examination halls in the Ahanta-West district recently for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), were found to be pregnant. This bizarre fact was disclosed by the presiding member of the Ahanta-West District Assembly, Mr Kojo Thompson, who said at its meeting at Agona-Ahanta yesterday, that they all came to write the exam ”visibly pregnant”. He said this is a sad reflection on parental control in the district despite the constant appeal to help curb teenage pregnancy. Mr Thompson expressed concern about low enrolment in schools throughout the district and said parents would be doing themselves, their wards and the nation a great disservice if they fail to encourage their children to attend and complete school. He hinted that the Ghana Education Service may come out with a policy whereby classes with an enrolment of less than 40 would be merged. Mr Thompson said if this policy is implemented, the district would lose some teachers to other districts. In spite of this discouraging state of affairs, the Ahanta-west district assembly is investing heavily in basic and secondary education. In his sessional address, the District Chief Executive, Lt-Col. Ekow Jones, announced that all dilapidated school structures have been rehabilitated. The assembly has completed the cladding of all the 14 pavilions in the district by providing verandahs, aprons and drainage at a total cost of 194.8 million cedis. According to Col Jones, the Assembly further contributed 200 million cedis to the refurbishing of the St. Mary’s secondary school science block as the district science resource centre and has agreed to provide 4.3 million cedis for a fume chamber to defuse poisonous gases after experiments in the chemistry laboratory. Additionally, the House has awarded a contract for the construction and re-roofing of the Apowa and Ankyerenyin junior secondary schools which had been hit by a rainstorm at a cost of 75.8 million cedis and 24.4 million cedis respectively. Col. Jones said 10 girls selected from junior and senior secondary schools are to participate in science, technology and mathematics education clinic designed to encourage girls to develop interest and study the full range of science and mathematics related subjects.
