The Challenges of Adolescent Girls Sexual Maturation to Educational Parity in Northern Ghana.

This paper examines the links between sexual maturation and menstrual management and dropout and attendance among adolescent girls in Ghana using the four northern regions as a case study. It focus was to examine specifically public management of school girl’s sexual maturation and menstrual hygiene practices and how these affect school dropout and attendance. A multi-site survey was conducted using Purposive, simple random, accidental sampling technique to select the respondents and via that questionnaire and interview guide were used for the data. Northern Ghana was defined to coincide with the four northernmost regions comprising Northern, Brong Ahafo, and Upper East Regions of Ghana. The study revealed that while many factors contribute to girls dropping out of school, the incidence of the drop out is high around the age of puberty suggesting that, there is a connection between girls’ dropout rate and the management of the complexities of puberty and maturation. Although not all beliefs are reflected in practices, in many places cultural and religious beliefs prevent girls from participating in worship, sex, domestic chores, dropout, attendance and many social activities, most of these restrictions reflect the mistaken belief that menstruation is unclean and therefore a menstruating girl should limit her contact with others. Given that menstruation can cause inconvenience and pain, and limit women activities, it is not surprising that many girls see menstruation as discomfort and not a sickness, and does prevent some of them from attending school during this period and this widens the gap in education achievement. The onset of menstruation during puberty evokes general negative reaction perhaps because many girls are not prepared ahead for it on time, though majority are aware that it is a normal part of growing up and that it is preceded by other changes in their bodies. Many manage the flow but the items used are more often than unhygienic, this is as a result of poverty. Education, institution of meaningful programs, provision of adequate sanitary facilities, might be enough to change the attitude of girls about sexual maturation menstrual management practices since here is no policy that debars menstruated girls from attending school or being asked to be withdrawn from school. Key Descriptors: Menstruation, maturation, education, gender parity, adolescent. Capability

Gender Inequality in Basic Education in the Northern Region of Ghana: Household and Contextual Factors in Perspectives

The Government of Ghana has implemented a number of policies towards achieving quality and gender equality in basic schools in Ghana. These policies include the School Feeding Programme, Capitation Grant and recently the provision of Free School Uniform to pupils in basic schools. This paper examines household factors as well as contextual factors that militate against the effort of government in achieving quality and gender equality in enrolment and attendance in basic schools in the the Northern Region of Ghana. Household questionnaire, interview guides were used to obtain the primary data while the secondary data were sourced via the internet, published dissertations and journals. Socio-economic factors such as the high cost associated with girls’ education, availability of household resources, poverty and high number of market days served as barriers to gender equality in basic education in the Northern Region of Ghana. Socio-cultural practices such as  boy child preference, polygyny, fostering, early marriage, menstruation and attendance at festival celebrations are key factors militating against quality and gender equality in basic schools in the region. Vigorous sensitization on the negative effects of these socio-cultural factors by the government and NGOs and the removal of all forms of levies in basic schools as well as strict enforcement of the Free Compulsory Basic Education policy by the government would go a long way to improve  access to basic education in the Northern Region of Ghana

‘QUEENMOTHER’ CONCEPT IN THE UPPER WEST REGION OF GHANA: IS THIS ADVANCEMENT OR AN EMERGING CONFLICT WITH TRADITION IN A PATRIARCHAL SOCIETY?

The concept of ‘queenmother’ is not new in Africa. Scholars have indicated the importance of this institution in Ghanaian traditional political system. With increasing women’s empowerment, there is a growing realization that women are co-agents of nation building resulting in the expansion of roles of queen mothers as conduits of development. Consequently, patriarchal societies without queen mothers such as the Upper West Region (UWR) of Ghana are encouraged to install one. While this practice has been going on for centuries in matriarchate, its replication in patriarchates raises questions and concerns. Using interpretative methods involving focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with traditional leaders and elders, this research explored the perceptions and challenges of this emerging concept in the UWR. The concept as practiced in matriarchate has been adopted wholesale into patriarchates and this may have led to the perceived nonfunctional nature of the concept. This concept also conflicts with the traditional and deep-seated cultural values of the people, especially those related to the marriage institution. Furthermore, the perceived roles of queen mothers seem to conflict with those already performed by traditionally recognized ‘Tindaamba’ and ‘pognaaba’. To avoid potential conflicts already existing women leaders (pognaaba) should play the role of ‘queenmothers’ in these societies