It has come to the full glare of the public that the ongoing Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), which is supposed to be the last sitting for candidates of the Junior High Schools (JHS) in Ghana, has recorded quite an increasing number of teenage pregnancies.
According to an investigation and a survey conducted by the Educate Africa Institute (EAI) across some selected institutions out of the over 18,000 schools and a little over 2,000 centres recognized by WAEC this year, it was observed that;
- There is a detrimental increase in teenage pregnancies among the ‘girl child’ this year, 2023 BECE candidates.
- High usage of some unprescribed drugs like aphrodisiacs leading to an unprecedented jump in drug abuse amongst some ‘Okada and Pragia Riders’ quite an appreciable number of male candidates sitting for this year’s BECE.
We went further to elicit from some of these targeted groups to find out the possible causes of this menace. Even though the majority were shy to ‘let the cat out of the bag’, others, on the other hand, challenged the status quo to voice out their challenges and why these effects. We recorded as follows:
Parental irresponsibility; not less than half of the candidates we contacted stated that their parents could not afford their feeding fees, educational materials, and transport fares. Hence, their engagement with some ‘Okada and Pragia Riders’ in such acts to support themselves, which in effect led to their teenage pregnancies.
On the other hand, others stated that their parents have either separated or lost their jobs, and thus, they stay with other family members or family friends, which has led to poor parental control.
It came as a shock when one of the girls playfully, though serious, stated that “it hasn’t been easy on her side because her Okada boyfriend takes in too much aphrodisiac before engaging in sexual intimacy with her”. It appeared she was not alone in this state, looking at the body language of her other colleagues.
From the look of things, we may be sitting on a time bomb as a nation, after these girls pointed out to some of their male classmates as chain smokers or drug addicts who rub shoulders with some of these ‘Okada and Pragia Riders’.
However, Educate Africa Institute, EAI, calls on the government and all stakeholders of education to play their role as mandated to put an end to this detrimental increase in teenage pregnancy and drug abuse as recorded in this year’s BECE.
We are interested in promoting quality education and ensuring social justice. And ready to partner with government agencies, NGOs, Stakeholders, and individuals to shape Ghana for this and the next generation.
Ghana First.
Signed: Anthony Cobbinah
Director of Guidance and Counseling, EAI
WE EDUCATE AFRICA.