A total of seventy pregnant girls and fifty nursing mothers across the nine districts of the Western North Region were among the candidates who wrote the 2023 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in the Western North Region. In all, 17,485 candidates from 653 public and private schools registered for the examination. According to Mr Frederick Owusu, Western North Regional Examination coordinator, statistics from the girl child unit revealed that 11 pregnant girls and 12 nursing mothers took the examination in the Aowin municipality, while nine pregnant girls and eight nursing mothers sat for the examination in the Bia East district. Mr Owusu said,14 pregnant girls and seven nursing mothers took the examination in the Bia West district, with 11 pregnant girls and 14 nursing mothers also taking the examination in the Bibiani Anwhiaso Bekwai municipality. One pregnant girl and seven nursing mothers sat for the examination in the Bodi district while six pregnant girls took the exams in the Juaboso district. In the Akontombra district, 12 pregnant girls and seven nursing mothers took the examination, while the Suaman district recorded two pregnant girls and a nursing mother, Wiawso the regional capital presented four pregnant girls and two nursing mothers. He expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the examination in the region as they did not record any incident and commended stakeholders for their exemplary conduct during this year's Basic Education Certificate Examination. Mrs Agnes Asare, Regional Girl Child Education Coordinator, said, her outfit embarked on sensitization outreach programmes at schools, churches, and mosques and sometimes on radio stations to educate girls on the need to abstain from sex and the effects of teenage pregnancy. She advised parents to take every responsibility for their girl child and provide them with their needs while in school to stop men from luring them. 'I will plead with parents to always provide sanitary pads for their girls so that men do not take undue advantage of them.' She also appealed for funds from individuals and corporate institutions to enable her outfit to conduct more radio and sensitization programmes to educate girls on the need to avoid early sex, which she noted could lead to unwanted pregnancies.

Source: Ghana News Agency