Giving out young girls to early marriages are destructive to the nation as they are deprived of opportunities to develop their talents for the benefits of society and for themselves.

Mr. Johnny Owusu-Boadi, the Obuasi Municipal Director of Education who made the observation, said girls have equal academic abilities as the boy child and therefore parents should offer them equal opportunities to attend school instead of pushing them into early marriages.

“It is important to advise parents not to deny their girl child the right to education by giving them to early marriages”, he said.

Speaking at the seventh graduation day of Independence schools at Obuasi, Mr. Owusu-Boadi said education was a right to the child and that parents should avoid discriminating against their girl child and the disabled as far as schooling is concerned.

He said parental responsibility was critical to making the young ones realize the importance of education as a tool for life-long living.

Speaking on the theme “investment in education is worthwhile”, Mr. Owusu-Boadi expressed unhappiness with parents who refuse to provide the basic needs for their children’s education in addition to pitching quarrels and attacks on teachers who teach their wards.

He admitted that the attitude of some parents had contributed to school dropouts in the society and appealed to parents to create the motivating environment for their children to pursue education to the higher level.

Mr. Owusu-Boadi said he was unhappy with the low patronage of parents in the graduation day of the schools, saying participation of parents in such school activities offered encouragement to both teachers and pupils to give off their best.

The Headmistress of Independence JHS ‘B’, Ms Grace Sarpomaaa Amoako, condemned the practice where some unscrupulous persons have turned the school premises into wee-smoking grounds.

She appealed for additional classrooms for the two JHS and the primary sections since inadequate classroom facilities had forced over hundred pupils into one classroom.

Ms Amoako said the primary sections alone had over one thousand and sixty pupils, stressing that with this astronomical learner population, the urgent need for a three storey classroom block cannot be over emphasized to promote effective and excellent teaching and learning situation.

The out-going school prefect for Independence JHS ‘B’, Miss Hilda Amoakoaah, expressed grave concern about the use of the school compound as a thorough fare which was not conducive to teaching and learning.**