Stay home, when your pregnant – GES’ Exams Coordinator tells pregnant students

The Upper East Regional Examination Coordinator of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Abraham Giba Adoctor, has raised alarm over rising teenage pregnancies in schools, claiming the situation is being worsened by the government’s re-entry policy.

Speaking on News Digest on Dreamz FM on May 30, Adoctor stated that teenage pregnancy is increasingly becoming “fashionable” among girls in pre-tertiary schools, with many students being influenced by the policy that allows pregnant girls and young mothers to remain in school.

According to him, while the policy was originally introduced to reduce school dropouts among pregnant girls and adolescent mothers, it is now having the opposite effect.

“The policy says when they are pregnant and in school, you give them a comfortable place. So some girls also want to be pregnant so they can get that special treatment,” he said.

Adoctor explained that many girls now view pregnancy as a way to receive attention and privileges, including exemption from certain school responsibilities, or to simply copy peers who are already mothers.

“She sees her colleague has a child and it’s like, ‘Oh, if I also have one, I’ll be happy.’ Sometimes they even say it openly. That thinking begins to sink into their minds and eventually they also go ahead and get pregnant.”

He stressed that rather than acting as a deterrent, the policy is now serving as a license, encouraging more girls to become pregnant while still in school.

The Re-entry Policy was adopted to promote education continuity for adolescent mothers, ensuring they return to school after childbirth instead of permanently dropping out. However, Adoctor believes that its current form is no longer achieving this goal.

He also expressed concern about the difficulty of balancing motherhood and schooling.

“While your colleagues are attending lessons, you are running to breastfeed a child. It is stressful. That’s why I believe they should stay home, take care of the baby, and only return to school after weaning the child.”

Adoctor called for a return to the previous system, where pregnant schoolgirls were sent home during pregnancy and allowed back only after childbirth and recovery.

“I know some people will attack me for saying this, but it’s the truth. We’ve given them too much freedom. Now, things are getting out of hand. Moral standards in society are dropping,” he added.

His comments have sparked debate, as the issue of teenage pregnancy continues to pose a challenge to Ghana’s education system.