Parents advised to see nurturing of girl-child shared responsibility
The Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), Professor Esther Danso Wiredu, has said the nurturing of the girl-child is not the responsibility of governments alone but a shared responsibility of families, communities, institutions, and individuals.
“The girl-child is not a problem to be solved; she is a promise to be fulfilled,” she explained.
Professor Wiredu was speaking at the annual Professor Margaret Gyapong Annual Lecture and Mentorship Programme at the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) at the main campus at Sokode-Lokoe, near Ho.
This year’s topic was on ‘Nurturing the Girl-child: What Investment Do We Need?’
Investment in education
Professor Wiredu, who was the guest speaker, said the willingness of the girl-child to be nurtured was also very important in her development.
She said investment policies and leadership opportunities must include girls and young women in decision-making platforms, supporting leadership programmes for girls, and enforcing policies that promote gender equality.
“When girls are included in leadership, society progresses,” she added.
Still on investment in education, Professor Wiredu maintained that girls must feel safe to reach their full potential in education, while laws should be strengthened against child marriage and gender-based violence, alongside the sensitisation of families and communities on girls’ right to education.
She pointed out that investment in girls meant strong families, healthier communities, and more prosperous nations.
“Yet, many girls still faced barriers such as limited access to education, early marriage, and gender-based violence,” the guest speaker said.
Scholarships
The lecture coincided with the award of scholarships worth a GH¢36,520.37 to six brilliant, needy female students of UHAS under the Dora Getrude Quaye Scholarship Fund.
Professor Margaret Gyapong, a former Director of UHAS in October 2021, won the Outstanding Female Scientist Prize, which carries a cash award of €20,000 from the European Development Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP).
She donated the entire prize amount to support needy female students of UHAS in memory of her late mother, Dora Gertrude Quaye, leading to the establishment of the Dora Gertrude Quaye Scholarship Fund.
