Regional News of Wednesday, 28 December 2005

Source: GNA

Teenage pregnancy on the increase- Nyame

Sekondi, Dec. 28, GNA - Miss Jane Edna Nyame, Western Regional Director of the National Council for Women and Development (NCWD), on Wednesday called for intensive education to reduce the high incidence of teenage pregnancy in the country.

"Teenage pregnancy is on the increase and some 16 and 18 years old girls have three children", she told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview at Sekondi.

Miss Nyame said efforts and resources should be channelled into the education of the girl-child to combat teenage pregnancy that was "Rearing its ugly head in the society". She said girls, particularly those in rural areas were dropping out of school because of pregnancy and this was not good for the development of the country.

"Unless concrete measures are taken to address the cause of the problem, the future of the country would not be guaranteed", Miss Nyame said.

She advised parents and guardians to live up to their responsibilities and provide the needs of their children and help them solve their problems.