Sankpala (N/R), July 28, GNA- Many children of school-going age in Sankpala in the West Gonja District are not in school and the few who are attending school have no uniforms.

This came to light during the launch of the Northern Region Poverty Reduction Programme (NORPREP) at Sankpala on Wednesday. Mr Edmund Techi Adam, a retired educationist, who hails from the area, attributed this to poverty, adding that about 70 per cent of the people are poor.

He said other factors that had impeded girls' education in the Northern Region were the rapid changing of social systems and outmoded traditional practices and beliefs.

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is financing the NORPREP with a 12.3 million-dollar loan to improve the living conditions of poor rural communities, with emphasis on women and other vulnerable groups.

Under the programme, some 280,000 rural families would benefit from community development, capacity building, sustainable agricultural development and modern animal husbandry practices. Mr Adam, who chaired the function, noted that the Ghanaian society is characterized by gender inequality in all spheres of life much to the disadvantage of women.