Ashanti Region chiefs turn heat on parents over falling academic performance

As part of measures to address falling academic standards, chiefs of Adugyama Traditional area in the Ahafo Ano South District of the Ashanti Region have vowed to punish parents who send their children on errands after 7 p.m.

Community leaders say there are growing levels of promiscuous lifestyles, especially among girls, resulting in falling academic performance.

84.2 percent of pregnancies recorded in the district were unplanned pregnancies by children below age 20.

This is according to a report by U.S based Centre for Promoting Ideas which was published in the American International Journal of Contemporary Research in 2012.

In 2016, the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) also released a survey report which shows that one in every five girls was a victim of teenage pregnancy in the Ahafo Ano South district.

It was part of the top three districts that records rampant teenage pregnancies in the Ashanti region.

This is basically because of poverty and low standards of education.

The district came last in the recent ranking of the Basic Education Certificate Examination in the Ashanti region.

Akyeamehene of Adugyama, Nana Owusu, therefore, announced the measures at a sensitisation program organised by local NGO, B2C Network for communities in the district.

He says traditional leaders have agreed with the assembly members to send any child seen after the said time to the palace to be for their parents to be punished.

“We have agreed to punish both the parents and child because we have announced this and expect the parents to know better and keep their wards indoors to study,” he said.

Meanwhile, Member of Parliament for the area, Francis Manu-Adabor calls for closer collaboration among stakeholders.

He suggests, for instance, teachers of Adugyama Senior High school be mobilised to assist in the effective implementation of the directive.

Team leader, John Mensah is convinces such community engagements can address some of the educational challenges.

“We want to by this expose the young ones to the importance of education,” he said.

The district is one that benefited from the erstwhile government’s community day Senior High School projects.

Meanwhile, the Member of Parliament for Ahafo Ano South East, Francis Manu-Adabor, has hinted plans to convert the school into a vocational and technical school.

This move is to help address the low standard of living and the poverty situation, he explained.