Tamale, April 27, GNA - Alhaji Abubakar Saddique Boniface, Northern Regional Minister on Thursday announced a scholarship package for pregnant girls in the region currently taking part in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), who would qualify to the Senior Secondary School.

Alhaji Boniface made the pledge when he toured some examination centres in the Metropolis to see how the candidates were faring and to find out whether there was sanity and calm in the conduct of the examination. Some 56 candidates had absented themselves from the examination while six out of the 14 pregnant girls were writing the examination. The Regional Minister visited four out of the 20 centres in the Metropolis. Four boys had been reported dead after their registration while one girl from the Zuo Community Junior Secondary School was allegedly given out into forced marriage.

At the Ghana Secondary School (GHANASCO) Centre "A," a 17-year-old pupil from the St. Augustine's Junior Secondary School, who had a caesarian operation a week to the examination, had taken part in all the papers written so far.

Alhaji Boniface said the scholarship package was not to encourage other girls into immoral sexual relationship that could result in pregnancy but that the gesture was to support the unfortunate girls to complete school and take good care of their children. He said most of the pregnant pupils were innocent looking, noting that those who impregnated them might not be responsible persons hence the decision to sponsor them if they passed their BECE. Alhaji Boniface advised that those who would qualify for the scholarship should contact the Northern Regional Coordinating Council and their various District Assemblies for the sponsorship. Mrs. Veronica Adzato-Netem, Northern Regional Deputy Director of Education, who accompanied the Minister on the visit, noted that majority of the absentees were boys and regretted that society was fighting for equal education for the girls to catch up with boys but sadly, the boys were now withdrawing from school.

A total of 16,840 pupils are writing the examination at 59 centres throughout the region. They are made up of 10,988 boys and 5,852 girls while the Tamale Metropolis alone registered 5,952 candidates.