The Ghana Education Service (GES) stated that the number of female students enrolled in high schools in Ashanti has increased significantly in the past four years.
Ms. Mary Owusu Afriyie, Regional Education Director, said that the increase was fueled by the implementation of the Free High School (SHS) program.
The government led by Nana Akufo-Addo initiated a free SHS policy in accordance with Sustainable Development Goal Four (4) to enable all Ghanaian youth to receive secondary education. The goal is to ensure Inclusive and fair quality education for all.
Ms. Owusu Afriyie said at the inauguration ceremony of a 12-unit classroom in Kumasi Anglican SHS that according to GES statistics, the area recorded 97,977 female students out of 202,845 students in the 2016/2017 school year.
In the 2017/2018 school year, among the 225,809 students, the number of female students increased to 110,216, and in the 2018/2019 school year, this number soared to 130,342 out of 264,773 students.
In the 2019/2020 academic year, out of 288,811 students, 142,853 women were females.
Ms. Owusu Afriyie further notable that the steady increase in female enrollment is encouraging and explained that it will help promote the country’s agenda for gender equality and women’s empowerment.
She advised students to be disciplined at all times, saying they should strictly abide by the COVID-19 safety protocols to stay safe of the disease.
She advised students to always abide by discipline, and should strictly adhere to COVID-19 safety guidelines.
