Bye Laws To Ensure Effective Girl child Education

The chiefs and people of Wa West district in collaboration with Pronet North, Centre for Community participation and development (CCPAD) have enacted some bylaws to guide girl child education in the district. The people in this district practice elopement as a cultural practice which affects girls of school going age.

The document was signed to take full force by the district chief executive (DCE), the Chief of Meteu and the district director of education. The eight chapter document covered all facets of girl child education especially elopement and refusal to sending them to school.

The chief of Meteu Naa Bandanaa, said that ‘since we started the process of drafting these by laws many have heard of it so elopement of girls have already reduced’. He expressed optimism that with the coming to force of these bylaws girl child education would improve significantly. He called on Pronet North and CCPAD to leverage STAR-GHANA and other donor agencies to have another phase of the project in the district.

On his part the DCE of the area Hon. Adamu Dasaana said his outfit is always ready to partner with organizations in the educational sector. ‘If you mention the first two priorities of this district and education isn’t part of it then you are not referring to Wa West’ he added.

Mr. Tampah Price Ceaser the project coordinator of Partnering for Inclusive Education in Northern Ghana (PIENG). Thanked the traditional authorities, the community members and STAR-GHANA for their support. He entreated the people not to relent on their responsibility of giving their children education especially the girl child and children living with disabilities as well.

In interviews with some of the participants, they were thankful to the NGO for taking up such a crucial policy in the district and opined that the implementation stage of the project is paramount hence the need for CCPAD and Pronet North to still partner them. They entertained fears that if the NGOs leave at this point implementation of the otherwise flagship bye laws may not see the light of day.

In attendance were some traditional leaders, executives of SMEs and PTAs and the representative of the district director of education.

Joseph Oswald Ali

Free Lance Journalist