Students urged to demonstrate high sense of morality

New Edubiase (Ash), Sept 12, GNA - Students, especially girls have been asked to demonstrate high sense of morality and avoid pre-marital sexual to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Mr Dominic A.K. Yeboah, the Adansi South District Chief Executive (DCE), who gave the advice, called for sex education in schools to sensitise students on reproductive health and the consequences of pre-marital sex.

The DCE was opening the district's Science, Technology and Mathematics Education (STME) clinic for 50 girls and 20 boys at New Edubiase at the weekend.

It was under the theme, "Scientific and Technological Education: The Hope of the Nation".

Mr Yeboah urged students to learn hard especially the sciences and mathematics to enable them to pass their examinations to justify the huge investments being made in their education.

He said assembly had allocated funds for the improvement of education in the area.

Mr Yeaboah said: "This year, an amount of 60 million cedis is being disbursed as scholarships and bursaries to brilliant but needy students in basic and senior secondary school and tertiary institutions including those in training colleges".

The District Director of Education, Mr J.K. Onyinah, said the STME clinic over the years had focused on assisting girls to overcome the gender stereotypes that prevented them from science, technology and mathematics related courses.

He said: "The STME clinic has made significant impact in changing the negative perception that mathematics, science and technology are not for girls but boys".

Mr Onyinah said there was an increase in the enrolment of girls in science and technology programmes in both senior secondary schools and tertiary institutions following the introduction of the programme. Mrs Brigite Richardson Nsiah, the District STME Co-ordinator, observed that as a result of the positive impact that the clinic had made on education, the programme had been decentralised to offer opportunities for more girls to participate.

She appealed to individuals and organisations to assist in funding the programme so that more students could benefit from it.