As the world marks the 10th Anniversary of the International Day of the Girl, the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) profiles girls between the ages of 12 and 17, on their status, whether they are in school or a union.
Data from the 2021 Population and Housing Census indicates that about 80,000 girls in Ghana aged 12 to 17 years are already married or living with a man.
Out of this number, more than 25,000 are girls of JHS going age between 12 and 14 years.
The North East region has the highest percentage of 13 percent of girls in union, followed by the Savannah region with 10.9 percent and the Northern region with 10.6 percent, which are twice more than the national average of 4.6 percent.
Despite the Free and Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE), almost a quarter of a million girls aged 16 to 14 years have never attended school at all, according to the Statistical Service.
Three out of every 10 of these girls are in the Northern region, who have never attended school are more than 73,000, followed by the Savannah region with less than 28,000 and the North East region recording more than 22,000.
These three regions also have the highest percentage of girls currently not attending school.
More than 99,000 girls under 15 years of age are engaged in economic activity, with half of them out of school.
According to the Ghana Statistical Service, the aim of the data is to highlight challenges preventing young girls from reaching their full potential, such as early marriage and lack of access to educational and other opportunities.
Story credit – gbcghanaonline.com
