The Bono Regional Guidance and Counselling Coordinator of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Madam Patricia Awuah, has passionately appealed to parents to support their teenage daughters who become pregnant while in school instead of rejecting or abandoning them.
According to her, chasing a pregnant daughter out of the house or forcing her to live with the man responsible for the pregnancy only worsens her plight and risks destroying her future.
“Getting pregnant is not supposed to be the end of an adolescent’s dreams. Parents must play a pivotal role in ensuring that the future and aspirations of these girls are not truncated because of early pregnancy.”
Madam Patricia Awuah made these remarks as a resource person on the “Me Daakye Radio Show” on Sunyani-based Space FM 87.7, hosted by adolescent journalist Ms. Ishaq Umar Rahima. The discussion centered on the thought-provoking topic: “Pregnant but not finished: Is early pregnancy the end of an adolescent’s education or dreams?”
The “Me Daakye Radio Show” forms part of the Resilient City for Adolescents (RCA) project being implemented by the Global Media Foundation with funding support from Fondation Botnar through Ecorys UK.
The RCA project, which has also given birth to the Sunyani Adolescents Parliament, seeks to empower adolescents socially, economically and politically to become active citizens who can demand their rights, create livelihood opportunities and meaningfully engage in city-level decision-making processes affecting their health, education and overall well-being.
Madam Awuah acknowledged the emotional pain and disappointment many parents experience after investing heavily in their daughters’ education only to be confronted with teenage pregnancy.
“Teenage pregnancy is understandably embarrassing and heartbreaking for parents, but rejection is not the solution.”
She cautioned both male and female adolescents to desist from sexual immorality and instead focus on their education to secure their future.
Importantly, she disclosed that GES has established systems and structures, including the re-entry policy and the Guidance and Counselling Unit, to ensure that pregnant girls and adolescent mothers are given the opportunity to remain in school or return after childbirth to complete their education.
She therefore urged parents and guardians not to allow early pregnancy to become a permanent barrier to the education and future success of adolescent mothers.
The Me Daakye Radio Show also featured the compelling testimony of 20-year-old mother, Ms. Harriet Takyiwaa from Odumase, who shared her lived experience.
“I got pregnant while in JHS because of the harsh treatment from my stepmother. She prevented my father from supporting me with basic necessities, and that pushed me into a relationship with a guy who later got me pregnant.”
According to Takyiwaa, she was subsequently driven out of the house to live with the same man responsible for her pregnancy. To survive, she resorted to selling sachet water and other items, but the income was barely enough to meet her needs.
After giving birth, she resolved not to give up on her dreams. She enrolled as an apprentice with a seamstress to learn a vocational skill but she soon realized the trainer was unwilling to impart meaningful knowledge.
Disappointed but undeterred, she quit the training. It was during this period that she heard about the RCA project by the Global Media Foundation and quickly enrolled.
Takyiwaa said she later gained admission to the Kenzy Fashion Institute in Sunyani to pursue fashion design. Through the RCA project, her tuition, daily transport allowance, uniforms, tools and even a brand-new industrial sewing machine were provided to her and other beneficiaries.
“Now I sew dresses for people in my community and earn some income.”
The sensational host of the Me Daakye Show, Ms. Ishaq Umar Rahima also shared her experience on how she became a teenage mother as a result of maltreatment from her step-father. But she became famous through the RCA project where she was trained as an adolescent journalist and was elected as the adolescent member of parliament for Yawhima community in Sunyani. Aside gaining a lot of travelling and learning opportunities, Ishaq Rahima was adjudged the Most Promosing Young Leader of the Year 2025 at the Ghana Leadership Awards. She is now pursuing her dream of becoming a health professional, journalist and politician.
Madam Patricia Awuah commended Takyiwaa and Rahima for their resilience and determination, describing them as shining examples of hope for other adolescent mothers.
“Pregnancy should not define your destiny. Aim high, work hard and face the future without fear or intimidation," she encouraged.
Some of the listeners through WhatsApp messages reinforced the discussion with powerful messages - insisting that early pregnancy may interrupt education, but with the right support from parents, institutions and society, it does not have to end dreams of adolescents.
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