A study by Right To Play, an international NGO has identified inadequate parental support as a major problem undermining the education of children in the Ga South Municipality.
The research conducted, showed that parents are shirking their responsibilities to their children.
The basic needs of the children such as uniforms, books and pens or pencils have therefore been left to government and teachers to bear.
The issue of girls performing house chores before they get to school and parents leaving out male children from the chores also came up as some contributing factors to the problem. This has resulted in girls not getting to school on time but the boys going to school earlier.
The Report of the Study was disseminated at a durbar held at Domiabra Methodist M/A School in the Ga South Municipality in Accra.
The community durbar Basic was also used to celebrate International Women’s Day. The focus of the programme was; “Equal opportunities to both boys and girls; a time for action.”
A training officer at Right To Play, Lawrence Offei, in his speech adviced parents to give equal work to both genders at home in order not to put much burden on the girls. He said this makes the girls go through the emotional stress of feeling unloved by parents.
Mr. Offei mentioned some consequences when parents shirk their responsibilities as boys escaping from school and found at game centres even with their uniforms and the girls engaging with men and dancing at pubs late into the night, resulting in the rise of teenage pregnancy.
He mentioned that some of the areas that the cases were prevalent were, Asalagya, Domiabra, Obakrowa, and Obom, all within the Ga South Municipality.
A number of speakers reminded parents to be concerned with what their children do both at school and home and also be role models to their children.
The parents and teachers had group discussions on how to build up the children for their future.
Some of the school children who spoke to GBC’s Radio Ghana responded positively to the role of Right To Play in their schools as helping to boost their confidence by causing them to speak up and also making their learning much easier. Some boys also agreed to assist their sisters at home in order to lessen their burden.
A mobile library van with reading books was donated by Right To Read to the Municipality to encourage children to read.
There were resource persons from DOVVSU, Municipal Education Directorate, Social Welfare, the Ga South Municipal Assembly and Traditional Council.
The school children were also demonstrated to and made to practice how to wash their hands effectively in the wake of the coronavirus.
Story By: Nhyira Kwabi
