Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum
Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, says the implementation of the Free Senior High School (FSHS) policy has not only improved the transition rate of students from Junior High School to Senior High School but has also enhanced the health outcomes of the students.
Speaking at the launch of the Holistic Opportunities for Positive Engagement in Maternal and Child Health (HOPE-MCH) project yesterday in Accra, he said improvement in education cannot be achieved without a corresponding change in health outcomes.
He said it was, therefore, imperative that high school education is made accessible to students after completing Junior High School (JHS) in order to improve healthy behaviours that will impact the lives and society as a whole.
He said, “Health and education are very good bed fellows, education changes health and health changes education. Research has shown how healthy literacy through education improves health, and how healthy behaviours also come from participation in education.
“Imagine when the vast majority of our future parents go through high school, infant mortality will drop, maternal mortality will drop because they have studied and acquired knowledge that would enable them to understand how to take good care of themselves and their children,” he added.
The HOPE-MCH Project is aimed at enhancing access and utilisation of maternal and newborn services for children under three years old, their mothers and pregnant women in Ghana.
The project also aims to generate community demand for skilled health services, to increase accessibility to health and nutrition services and products among others.
The minister also stated that higher education provides people with better health outcomes than people who may not be high school graduates or may not have had any form of formal or higher education.
Dr. Adutwum also mentioned that the Northern Region recorded over 90 percent of JHS students enrolling in the SHS in the last academic year compared to the transition rate in the southern part of the country.
Such phenomenal improvements, according to him, would not only impact the health of the students but also the larger society as a result of access to higher education.
While commending officials of the Hunger Project for taking up such an important decision to enhance maternal child health, he also appealed to them to provide critical data at the end to inform other projects given the statistics on the higher education at the SHS level, while pledging the ministry’s readiness to support its project.
The HOPE-MCH Project is being implemented in Ghana through a consortium that comprises The Hunger Project-Ghana (THP-Ghana), Catholic Relief Services, Ghana, Vitamin Angels and MAP International, with funding support from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Country Director of The Hunger Project (THP-Ghana), Erasmus Afranie, in his remarks said maternal health is the pillar of its mission, hence it was important that THP focuses on health and nutrition, which is not only fundamental human right but also a critical foundation for the prosperity and well-being of communities.
He said the project will, therefore, create a ripple effect of positive change across communities by providing a future where mothers would not fear for their lives during child birth as well as suffer for the consequences of preventable diseases.
Director for Temporal Affairs, Africa West Area, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Flint Ekyem Mensah, for his part said the project is aligned with its broader mission to support women and children across the globe, especially in the first five years of their lives, which is crucial for improving lifespan, overall health, cognitive development, productivity, and economic growth.
He said the church hopes to look back with pride at the progress made in improving maternal and child health in the country.
By Ebenezer K. Amponsah