(Accra, Dec. 10, 2004)

About 109 parents and guardians in the Bongo District have attended a workshop on "Responsible Parenting: A Tool for Maintaining Good Families". The workshop was necessitated by the increasing number of school dropouts, particularly girls, as a result of parents' neglect of of their responsibilities.

The workshop was organized by the Upper East Regional Secretariat of the National Council on Women and Development (NCWD), in collaboration with the Gender Desk Office of the Bongo District Assembly. Addressing the participants, the acting Regional Co-ordinator of the NCWD, Madam Mary Apakyine, disclosed that a total of 194 teenage schoolgirls got pregnant over three academic years (2000 - 03) in the district. She noted that most of the dropouts and pregnancies could be attributed to irresponsible parenting saying "this has an adverse effect on development since many of the people are already illiterate".

According to the co-ordinator, it was in the light of the developments that the workshop was organized, with the aim encouraging parents to be more responsible towards the upbringing of their children so that they could be accepted in society.

In a speech read on his behalf to open the workshop, the Bongo District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr. Clement Apikiya, expressed concern about the manner in which some parents in the area brought up their children. He noted that such negative approach had not only failed to mould the children to grow up to assume responsible positions in society by also promoted the rise of certain social vices.

Mr. Apikiya commended the NCWD for identifying this social problem and taking the bold initiative to organize the workshop, adding that all stakeholders should endeavor to show concern for the child's upbringing.

The Regional Population officer, Mr. Sylvester Agangmikere explained that responsible parenting was a situation where parents and other stakeholders in the society took the necessary steps to adequately take care of their children by instilling in them good personal and societal values to enable them become responsible citizens in the future. Source: Daily Graphic