Mr James Appiah-Kusi, Nkoranza North District Director of Ghana Education Service, has observed that child neglect, teenage pregnancy and child labour are the major challenges affecting the development of education in the area.

He called on parents to invest in the education of their children to enable them to become responsible citizens.

Mr Appiah-Kusi made the observation when briefing the Ghana News Agency on the outcome of school performance appraisal meetings held in 28 communities in the district.

He said the programme was aimed at sharing ideas with stakeholders and to find out the causes of the falling standards of education in the district.

He expressed concerned about parents who fail to provide their children with their basic needs, which contributes to the high drop-out rate among pupils in the area.

Mr Appiah-Kusi said studies have revealed that enrolment figures in primary schools continue to increase, whilst those for Junior High Schools are declining because parents and guardians refuse to offer support to complement government efforts.

He said the studies also revealed that some school boys are compelled to engage child labour to fend for their education, whilst the girls are forced to engage in pre-marital sex.

Madam Joyce Ampomah, District Girls Education Officer, said 10 pregnancy cases were recorded in the district during the 2010-2011 academic year involving students in Junior High School.

She called on religious leaders to use the pulpit to promote girl- child education and to assist in addressing the increasing problem of teenage pregnancy. **