Ebonyi NGO advocates sex education in schools

 

The Ebonyi state chapter of Coalition of Eastern Non-Governmental Orgaizations CENGOS has advocated for sex education in schools. The NGO which is concerned about the level of teenage pregnancies in the society called for concerted efforts to end teenage pregnancies and unsafe abortions in the society.

CENGOS stressed that reduction of premature pregnancy will help the state to develop more considering its lean resources.

Mrs. Nancy Oko-Onya, state coordinator of CENGOS stated this on Wednesday in Abakaliki, capital of Ebonyi state during the training of National Youth Service Corps members and teachers in secondary schools in the state on sexual reproductive health, rights and gender based violence, urged youths to desist from premarital sex to avoid unwanted pregnancies which according to her will ruin their lives.

Her words, “The way out of teenage pregnancies and unsafe abortion is avoiding premarital sex because it is not just to prevent one from being pregnant but the sexually transmitted diseases equally. So, it is general safety.

“When teenage pregnancy is reduced, the economic life of the child is improved, the social life of the child is improved and psychologically the child will be sound. There are lots of disadvantages associated
with teenage pregnancy. The child may drop out of school, it takes a lot of courage to have that child in school until she delivers and even after delivery, some of them don’t go back to school. So, the
future of the child is assured when there is reduction in teenage pregnancy.

“If it is possible we want to have zero teenage pregnancy occurrences in the state. That will help the state develop and the resources that is lean also will be managed properly but when you have so much stress on the resources both for the family, the child and government in taking care of unplanned pregnancies economically the state will not do well and if care is not taken, we will begin to produce children that will become very big challenge to the society crime wise”, she said.

She further explained that the training will enable teachers who spend most of the time on the students in the day with them to give them the basic knowledge on sexual reproductive health and Gender violence and contribute forming the lives of the students who will later go back to the society as full adults.

“It is going to be a year- long activity that will bring about formation of peer groups in the schools where the students on their aown will begin to discuss issues on sexual reproductive health rights
and gender based violence.

“We want to reduce incidences of teenage pregnancy, unsafe abortion and let those children have access to reproductive health services and
then to agencies of government that protect the law. If they have issues to report to the police, Civil Defence, immigration those onesllhave been trained and we partner them to ensure safety in our society especially in Ebonyi state”.

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