Girls Education Officer expresses disgust at teacher-pupil sexual relationships

Hedzranawo, March 21, GNA-Mrs. Catherine Nutsugah-Mikado, Ketu-South District Girls' Education Officer last Thursday expressed disgust at increasing reports of sex between teachers and pupils in the district. She was delivering a solidarity message at a durbar at Hedzranawo, near Denu, to mark International Women's Day Celebration, 2009 in the Volta Region under the theme: "Women and Men United to End Violence Against Women and Girls".

Mrs. Nutsugah-Mikado could not give figures but said the reports were rampant and emphatic that no month passed without at least two of such reports to her unit. She said, while she was ready to battle the erring teachers, some Head Teachers "suppress such incidents into whispers". Mrs Nutsugah-Mikado said even parents, out of ignorance often renege on roles in the procedures to deal with the teachers by coaching their daughters to thwart investigations. She observed that the level of parental irresponsibility in the district was alarming, thereby making their girls vulnerable to baits of immoral teachers and other men. Mrs Nutsugah-Mikado said her unit was now engaged in frantic education of girls to pick up evidences of sexual approaches of their teachers and report.

She said the practice now was for parents who have her cell phone number to call at odd times, when calls were free, reporting that their daughters were not home.

Seyram Ahiamadi, a form one student of the Three-Town Senior High School in a message on behalf of girls urged parents not to shirk their responsibilities towards their children and her peers, to resist entry into early relationships. Sitsofe Kpetigo, a male form two student of the same school on his part asked boys to stop harassing student girls on campuses with offers of love relationships. 21 March 09