Information materials on girl-child education launched

Sekondi, Oct. 1, GNA - Madam Sophia Horner-Sam, Deputy Western Regional Minister, on Friday said gender and geographical disparities in access to basic education still existed in the country. She was launching communication materials to boost the promotion of girls' education in the region at Sekondi.

Madam Horner-Sam said the country set a target to achieve gender equity in education in 2005 under the Free, Compulsory Basic Education (FCUBE) Programme and the Education Strategy Plan (ESP), which ends this year.

She said the fact that the target has not been achieved 10 years after the institution of the FCUBE Programme underscores the need to increase promotion of Girl-Child education. Madam Horner-Sam said gender equity in education is tied up to the Millennium Development Goals, which earmarked the achievement of gender equity in basic education by 2005.

She said the other target of the Millennium Development Goals with regards to basic education was that "every child of school going age completes a full cycle of primary education by 2015". She said although there had been improvement in enrolment over the years, gender disparities still existed in the region.

Madam Horner-Sam said female enrolment in basic schools was getting better because in the 2004/05 academic year, female enrolment was 50.4 percent as against 48 percent in 2003/04 and 47.9 percent in 2002/03. She said causes of low enrolment of girls in some districts included inability of parents to bear the cost of education, and to provide adequate food for their children, as well as long distance from school.