Girls� education impacts on society

Mrs Mercy Larbi, Ashanti Regional Director of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), has observed that improving girls� education impacts on the health and economic aspects of society. She said research indicated that in developing countries, 50 per cent of girls did not have formal education, and that accounted for their inability to help improve their own living standards as well as that of their children. Mrs Larbi made the observation at a grand durbar of chiefs and people of the Techiman Traditional Area to climax the Ohene Ameyaw �Fofie Kese� Yam Festival at Techiman. It was on the theme �The Challenges and Relevance of Girls� Education in the 21st Century�. She noted that educating girls would ensure their acquisition of knowledge and skills, as well as a trade to make them eligible for employment with their status in society. Mrs Larbi said gender equality in education was a right and not a privilege, therefore every girl should have access to school, because in some developed countries available statistics indicated that in 2005-2006 women were leading men in many levels of education. Oseadeeyo Akumfi Ameyaw IV, Omanhene of the Techiman Traditional Area urged parents to endeavour to educate their children to the highest level since education was the best legacy they could bequeath to them and society. He appealed to the people to refrain from acts that would affect the socio-economic development of the area and forge ahead in unity and understanding for accelerated development.