Truancy, Teenage Pregnancy And School Dropout Major Factors Militating Against Quality Education In The Sekondi Takoradi Metropolis

The Sekondi- Takoradi Metropolis has experienced an overwhelming increase in truancy, school dropouts as well as Teenage pregnancy cases amongst Junior High Schools as students exhibited careless behaviours after registering for their final exams(BECE)

Provisional Statistics for the Metropolis sighted by Beach Newsroom indicates that truant cases for the year 2020/21 was 97 as against 2021/2022 which made a record of 83.

Teenage pregnancy under the year 2020/2021 was recorded at 26 as against 2021/ 2022 with a record of 28 cases.

Students’ dropouts as of the year 2020/2021 stood at 24 as that of 2021/ 2022 saw a record of 32.

Meanwhile, at the Senior High School level, truancy cases for 2022 are 362 as compared to 69 in the previous year, whilst teenage pregnancy for the year 2022 had a record of 35 against last year which recorded 19 and dropout cases are currently recorded at 721 cases as compared to 2021 with 102 cases.

Speaking during a meeting with the media on a campaign for youth – Oriented and Gender-sensitive topics held by the STMA in line with the implementation of the Twin-Cities in Sustainable Partnership Project (TCSPP) aimed to provide a platform to share information and solicit inputs from stakeholders the Sekondi- Takoradi Metropolitan Director of Education, Madam Sally Nelly Coleman made an urgent call to parents and guardians to assist reduce the menace to the lowest level.

“The Metropolis is faced with these three issues, and the Education Directorate is making frantic efforts to eradicate them to the barest minimum. Truancy cuts across all the levels. Students’ no longer adhere to the time table but come to school as and when they feel to do so. There are interventions in place to curb such menace. We have equipped our guidance and counselling unit to sensitize the students’, ” She noted.

Madam Nelly Coleman disclosed that the Education Directorate has put measures in place to put the students on the right track to complete their education successfully.

She entreated parents not to neglect their responsibilities but be up and doing in the lives of their children.

“Parents are shrinking their responsibilities, parents, please provide your children with their basic needs, especially the young girls. Don’t give room to unscrupulous individuals to tamper with the education of your daughters, Madam Nelly added.