Sunyani, Sept 5, GNA - About 13,000 are to benefit in Brong Ahafo under the government's scholarship scheme to promote girl child education.

The 13 districts in the region are to send names of 1,000 needy but brilliant girls to the Regional Education Office to be forwarded to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, for precessing, Mrs Akuah Debrah, Acting Regional Director of Education, said on Thursday. She was opening a five-day conference of the Women's Missionary Union of Ghana Baptist Convention in Sunyani to deliberate on the welfare of women in the church.

More than 900 women are attending the conference under the theme, "Harvest time, now - catch them young".

Mrs Debrah stressed the importance of education and urged parents to encourage their children, especially the girls, to stay in the classroom.

"The youth are now deeply involved in undisciplined activities such as armed-robbery, rape, defilement, prostitution and other social vices because most parents have neglected their responsibility of caring and providing their children with the necessities of life".

Nana Kwadwo Seinti, Regional Minister, in a speech read on his behalf noted that progress in education over the years "has given women the opportunity to acquire skills comparable to those of their male counterparts".

He expressed regret that tradition and some cultural beliefs had relegated women to the background in spite of efforts by the United Nations and other organisations including non-governmental and religious based ones to eliminate all forms of discrimination.

The Regional Minister advised women to take up the challenge to ensure their total liberation "since the country cannot continue to marginalize half of its population and still hope to develop". Mrs. Philomena Wiredu, National President of the Union, called on the women to be committed to the activities of the Church to ensure its growth.