The Northern Network on Education Development (NNED), a coalition of Non-Governmental Organisations (NOGs) in Northern Ghana, on Wednesday called on the government to improve the standard of education in the three Northern regions.

The Network made the call at this year's launch of Global Week of Action on Education at Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region.

It is being organised by and sponsored by OXFAM, an NGO based in the United Kingdom.

The Global Week aims at increasing public awareness on the plight of the millions of girls who are deprived of the opportunities of going to school.

The Network suggested that the cost of educating girls could be subsidised to make it easier for parents to support and encourage their daughters to pursue education to the level available to them.

The Network asked the Ghana Education Service (GES) to ensure that all schools provide appropriate sanctions to end violence against girls in the classrooms.

They appealed to District Assemblies to provide basic infrastructure and teaching and learning materials for all schools and expand the scholarship base for poor students.

They called on traditional authorities to ban negative cultural practices such as early marriage and betrothal that usually compelled girls to stop schooling.

The coalition advised parents and community leaders to support District Assemblies and the law enforcement agencies to effectively implement laws related to the welfare of children.

"Parents should also endeavour to send their children to school, especially the girl child", it said.

The weeklong celebration will include radio discussions on education in the local languages to enlighten the people on the need for educating girls.