Parents warned against denying children education
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Pusiga, Abdul-Rahim Haruna Aguri, has called on parents and guardians to take full advantage of the free and compulsory basic and secondary education as enshrined in Article 25(1) of the 1992 Constitution by enrolling their children in school.
He said parents had no justification for denying their children access to basic and second cycle education, warning that any act that deprived a child of that right would attract serious consequences.
Mr Aguri made the call at a day’s education dialogue organised by the Belim Wusa Development Agency (BEWDA), a local non-governmental organisation, in collaboration with ActionAid Ghana in Bawku in the Upper East Region.
The dialogue sought to assess progress made following a similar engagement held last year.
The Executive Director of BEWDA, Mr Peter Asaal, said several challenges had been identified as hindering quality education delivery in the organisation’s operational areas Bawku Municipality, Pusiga District and Binduri District.
He listed the challenges as a shortage of trained teachers, inadequate infrastructure, lack of teaching and learning materials (TLMs), low participation of Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs), and ineffective monitoring and supervision due to the volatile security situation. He added that certain social activities, including exposure to Western entertainment, were negatively influencing learners at the basic level.
Mr Aguri noted that irresponsible parenting remained one of the key factors undermining education delivery in the district.
He explained that he had personally intervened in several cases to prevent pupils from dropping out of school.
Recounting an experience, he said, “I recently saw two children loitering about and suspected they had not gone to school. I interrogated them, and it will surprise you to learn that one said their mother asked him to sacrifice his education to allow his brother continue schooling because she could not cater for both of them.”
On infrastructure, the DCE said that in line with the government’s vision to expand educational facilities, a significant portion of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) had been allocated for the renovation and construction of classroom blocks.
The Municipal Chief Executive for Bawku, Mr Isaac Azunaba, said the assembly was committed to promoting inclusive education and had secured DACF support for the construction of disability-friendly classroom blocks.
He added that pupil enrolment, which had declined due to insecurity in the area, was beginning to improve as a result of government interventions.
The Female Child Officer at the Pusiga District Education Directorate, Ms Jamila Bukari, disclosed that it had taken her several months to rescue a Junior High School pupil from being forced into marriage against her will.
Similarly, the Planning and Statistics Officer at the Binduri District Education Directorate, Ms Latifa Osman, revealed that staff strength in the district had reduced from 848 in the 2024/2025 academic year to 736 in the 2025/2026 academic year due to the conflict situation in Bawku. She appealed to stakeholders to help restore and sustain peace in the area.
Mr Asaal reaffirmed that BEWDA would continue to collaborate with government, NGOs and other development partners to provide appropriate infrastructure in its operational areas, stressing that quality and equity in education must remain a priority for all stakeholders.
FROM FRANCIS DABRE DABANG, BAWKU
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