Let’s support girls to become assertive, confident – ICDP country Director

The Ghana Education Service, Girls Officers, Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA) working in districts and other stakeholders have been urged to ensure the set of Girls Clubs or strengthen Rights of child clubs in schools that focuses on girl’s leadership and assertiveness to help correct long term female-deficit in the country’s governance system.

The Vice President of the Eastern Region Girls Education Network Country Director, International Child Development Program (ICDP), Mrs Joyce Larnyo who urged them in an exclusive interview with the Ghanaian Times, said the clubs were necessary in the basic schools to tertiary levels to enable the young girls to be trained at younger ages “so that even by the training they will remain in school and by the time they get to the tertiary levels they will be assertive and confident to fit into any leadership position in the country.

“There has been a huge female deficit in our governance system and I believe if these clubs are set up to train our girl-child it will make them become aware of themselves, fit in leadership positions and by that Ghana can achieve goal 5 of the Sustainable Development Goals,” she said.

Mrs Larnyo stated that such clubs were necessary to keep girls in school, revealing that enrolment of girls in schools was not a problem as keeping them in school, and added that most girls drop off as they continued the education ladder due to pregnancy, menstrual problems among other issues peculiar to girls.

She said the setting up of the clubs coupled with holiday camps should be organised for the girls to help them improve upon their self-awareness and also help them to broaden their frame of reference for higher aspirations in life.

The Vice President of the Eastern Region Girls Education Network suggested that some female leaders in the country, “for example women members of parliament, women heading both private and public institutions among others can be invited by the clubs to serve as mentors to speak to the girls or train them and teach then public speaking skills, debates and these can give them the assurance that they are capable.”

That, she stated would motivate them into setting goals for themselves to become leaders, adding that scholarships could also be provided to push them on the educational ladder.

FROM AMA TEKYIWAA AMPADU AGYEMAN, KOFORIDUA