Saltpond, May 14, GNA - Thirty pregnant girls and one nursing mother wrote the just ended Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE in the Mfantseman Municipality. Ms. Vivian Etroo, the Municipal Director of Education, told the GNA in an interview that 13 girls did not write the examination and no reasons were assigned for their absence. She said she suspected they were either pregnant or had given birth. Ms Etroo said the number recorded were those who were in advanced stage of pregnancy and that they could be more than the 30. On how to curb the situation and help girls to pursue higher education, she suggested the introduction of a policy that could make the use of the intra uterine device or any other long term family planning method compulsory for girls who are above the age of 11 years. IUD is a device inserted into the vagina to block sperm from entering the womb. It can function for 10 years and can be removed anytime the person is ready to have a baby.

She appealed to Ghanaians, especially religious bodies, not to interpret the suggestion to mean encouraging immorality. "Whether we like it or not, the girls are seriously engaging in sexual activities and we can only protect their education through involving them in adopting family planning methods," Ms Etroo said and added that this could save them from engaging in dangerous and illegal abortions. 14 May 09