Suhum Municipality in the Eastern region have recorded a total of 35 Senior High School students who have given birth and 7 are currently almost due for delivery between the months of March 2020 to April 2021.
This situation according to the Municipal director of Education, Esther Quaye, is rampant in three SHSs in the area.
The schools are; Islamic Girls Senior High School which recorded 15 deliveries and 4 pregnancies, Suhum Technical Senior High Schools (SUTESCO) also recorded 8 deliveries and pregnancies while Suhum Presbyterian Senior High School (PRESEC) recorded two (2) deliveries and 2 pregnancies.
The Municipal director of Education disclosed this during the inauguration of the ‘Municipal Advocacy Platform for Back to School campaign taskforce’ instituted to ensure that school dropouts return to school after the long closure of schools as a result of Covid-19.
Another worrying development she revealed has to do with how some students in the basic level have also started competing with the older ones in the second cycle level. She told the gathering that, at the basic level, five students ages 12 to 20 years were impregnated during the period under review.
This she said include a 12 and 13-year-old in basic four (4) and basic six (6) pupils respectively while the rest are Junior High School pupils.
Even though there were concerns that the implementation of the double-track system as part of the Free Senior High School Policy increased the risk of vulnerability of female students, the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 which led to a lockdown and 10 months closure of schools have been identified as factors that have worsened the situation.
More than 100,000 teenage pregnancies were recorded nationwide during 2020.
The Municipal Education director stated that, even though there is the likelihood that some pupils have dropped out of school in the Suhum Municipality to engage in other economic activities such as Okada, hawking, selling on the streets, immoral activities among others, evidence shows that, Public basic schools in the municipality have seen an increase in enrollment as some parents have withdrawn their children from Private Schools to Public schools.
She stated that total enrolment in all 68 public Kindergartens in the municipality has increased from 4169 in March 2021 to 4,466 in May 2021. Again, enrolment in all 78 public primary schools has risen from 13,088 to 13,543. At the Junior High School, level enrolment also saw an increase during the same period from 566o to 6149.
