Baanofour (B/A) Sept 19 GNA - Nana Saah Darteh, Queenmother of Baanofour in Nkoranza District has called for a task force in the area to help generate the interest of the youth in education.

She asked the Unit Committee to mobilize the people to form this force that would check the attendance of the youth at video shows, dances and funerals to the detriment of their studies. Speaking at a press conference at the weekend, Nana Saah expressed disgust at frequent pregnancies among teenage girls in the area, which led them to drop out of school.

"These girls then become liabilities in society", she said, and called on parents to co-operate with teachers in the training and education of their children to become responsible citizens. The Queenmother condemned the practice by some parents to attack teachers who punish their children for wrongdoings in school and called for a halt to the practice.

"Every parent should have the courage to punish; to correct even other children when they go wrong for, when such children are left off the hook they eventually become hardened and that will pose a great challenge to national development efforts", she added.

Nana Saah advised parents to invest in the education of their children and warned the youth to avoid pre-marital sex to avoid getting infected with HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.