The Girls’ Education Unit of the Ghana Education Service (GES) with other collaborators have organised a training workshop for the District Advocacy Taskforce on the back-to-school campaign at Akwatia in the Denkyembour District of Eastern Region.
The members of the task force are officials from the Department of Social Welfare, Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU), chiefs and religious bodies, teachers, headmasters, and parents.
The collaborators included GES’ Special Education Division, School Health Education Programme (SHEP), Guidance and Counselling Unit, and an External Resource Person.
Mr Emmanuel Barima-Koomson, the Eastern Regional Basic and Senior High Schools Coordinator said the workshop aimed at finding strategies to improve school enrolment during post-COVID-19.
He said the coronavirus was a contributing factor to the decrease in school enrolment and that as a result parents feared their children would become vulnerable even after the pandemic.
He said the task force would also help bring back students to school after the pandemic forced some to migrate elsewhere with their relatives.
Miss Belinda Bukari, from the Special Education Division of Ghana Education Service, Accra, took participants through unsafe school practices, elements of safe school, measures to promote a safe school, and stakeholders’ role to make school safe.
Ms Bukari said some unsafe practices that led to a decrease in school enrolment were, bullying, lack of cordial relationship between teachers and students, intimidation, stigmatisation, and teasing.
She noted that the situation could be avoided by using positive disciplinary measures such as strengthening disciplinary committees in schools, putting in place good reporting mechanisms, building a cordial relationship, check teaching and learning materials with a good and appropriate methodology, and motivation strategies.
Considering the roles of stakeholders in making school safe, she tasked parents and guardians to be responsible for nurturing their children while chiefs, institutions, community members, government, and religious bodies, make available good learning facilities such as structures, furniture, playfield, teaching, and learning materials.
Mr Thomas More Mensah Tsorhe, the District Director of Education, Denkyembour, lauded GES for the workshop and said with more of such sensitisations, parents would realise the importance of education and allay fears of COVID-19 and bring back their wards to school.
He said the directorate would ensure that effective work was done by members of the task force to improve school enrolment.
The Director, therefore, called on Ghana Education Service to resource the members.
Dr Naa Adjaley Alakijasekyi, a Lecturer at the University of Cape Coast, who was a resource person, stressed the need for psychosocial support for girls, especially pregnant ones.
She said parents and teachers must help victims build self-esteem by creating rapport with them and encourage them to attend the antenatal clinics and provide an update to the school.
She said schools must also build links with the Department of Social Welfare, Ghana Health Service, and DOVVSU to ensure health safety and protection of students.
Ms Edem Agbemadu, the Girls’ Education Officer of Denkyembour District, said she would liaise with the Advocacy Taskforce and bring an update to the directorate for the way forward.
