Education is foundation for the attainment of SDGs

Bolgatanga, July 31, GNA - Mrs Rose Avonsige, the Headmistress of the Bolgatanga Girls Senior High School, on Monday said education is the critical foundation for the attainment of all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Headmistress said this when she delivered a public lecture organised by the Upper East Regional branch of the Ghana National Association of Teachers - Ladies(GNAT-LAS) in Bolgatanga on the theme: 'Transforming Societies Through Education, And Women Empowerment Towards Achieving Agenda 2030.'

The Public Lecture, which formed part of the activities marking the third Quadrennial Regional Conference of the Regional branch of GNAT-LAS was also used to take stock of the activities of the Association over the years and to chart the way forward.

It was also meant to elect new regional officers into office. A Beauty pageant was also organised as part of the activities.

Mrs Avonsige said without education it would be very difficult for families and farmers to adopt new farming technologies that would improve upon agriculture and entrepreneurial endeavours to help address poverty and hunger which were among the goals of the SDGs.

She pointed out that the reduction of child mortality and improvement of maternal health care could be achieved by more than 50 per cent if women had the opportunity of getting improved education enabling them to understand how, why and where to obtain health services.

She stated that Goal 7 of the SDGs which focused on Environmental Sustainability could easily be achieved if people were educated to change their attitudes.

'This will help reduce diseases such as malaria and keep children in school and also allow people especially farmers to attend to their businesses to increase productivity,' she said.

Mrs Avonsige said the Goal 2, which placed more emphasis on the Universal Access to Primary Education could also be achieved through laying the proper foundation of education.

He expressed the need for the Government, non-governmental organisations, philanthropists, corporate organisations and parents to place priority on the area of investing in education.

Whilst acknowledging the fact that Government and other partner interventions had empowered women to some appreciable level, she advocated that more women should be appointed to leadership positions.

'The empowerment of women leads to the overall development of society. Economic empowerment provides the opportunities for women to support in the educational development of their wards and indeed the development of society,' she said.

Ms Jane Asare Dartey, the Regional Co-ordinator of GNAT-LAS, explained that the Association as a national body was formed in 1985 to help address the low representation of females in the GNAT union, saying it has been achieved to some appreciable level.

She stated that her outfit had organised series of programmes including breast and cervical cancer screening, public lecture on maternity, capacity building for female teachers among others.

Ms Dartey said the Association would continue to fight and to champion the welfare of female teachers.

Addressing the Conference, Mr Adobasom Ibrahim, the Regional Secretary of GNAT, stated that the Women's Union had contributed a lot to the overall development of GNAT and indicated that most of the activities undertaken by Association had become successful because of GNAT-LAS.

GNA

By Samuel Akapule, GNA