Madam Rebecca Akufo Addo, the First Lady has stated that, the time has come for the Advocators of the gender equality to put into practice what they speak about.

She was addressing an audience to mark the International women's day under the team #PressforProgress earlier today March 8 when she stressed on the fact that, one of the key factors to achieving the goal is education.

She said, currently education in Ghana is free up to the Senior High level but the benefit will be achieved if its purpose is achieved.

In her delivery, she outlined the reasons why the education among girls does not reach the same par with that of the boys, sighting early marriage as one of the key factors.

She said, “I know we have free education up to the Senior High School level, but free education is only meaningful to those who take advantage of it. Unfortunately, girls more than boys are unable to advance beyond SHS as a result of poverty, early marriages, teenage pregnancy, and other socio-cultural factors but it is in Ghana’s interest to ensure both girls and boys develop to their full potential. We must, therefore, take deliberate steps to do what others have done. We have the policies, we have the laws. We have the knowledge and we have the tools. It is time to act.”

She continued: “Education allows girls to be seen. It gives them a voice to shape their future. It gives that child the voice to say ‘no I should determine who I spend my life with’. Now I know we will have a great discourse. That is good. We’ve been having these discourses for years. But remember this, beyond the discourse is a young girl who is not in school. Beyond the discourse is a young girl who dropped out of school because her community does not see the value in educating a girl. Beyond the discourse is a child bride. Beyond the discourse is a pregnant school drop-out. So let’s talk, but let’s come up with action.”

Speaking on, the First Lady highlighted that, everyone has a role to pay in aiding girl child education to reach the peak we want to see it.

She said, “Each of us must determine to do something to get our girls to go to school and, stay in school. Each of us must determine to stop child marriages.

“I believe in the power of touch. Determine to touch a girl’s life. Maybe one life at a time is all you can do but the net effect of everyone touching a life is like the fluttering of a million butterflies, it produces energy that no one butterfly can produce.

She further indicated that, any girl can reach her full potentials if education is placed as the yardstick towards the achievement of such purpose.

She charged the audience to take advantage  of the free education policy and indicated that, if chiold marriage had been the society where she was brought up, she would not have been able to reach her  potentials.

“If we don’t act, our free education policy may not mean anything to these girls and their future. I would not be who I am without education. Neither would I be who I am today, if I had been born in an environment where child marriage is the norm".

“Women must be seen. Women must be heard. We should get to that day when equality for women is assumed. To get to that day though, requires deliberate actions and steps. We have done enough talking. It's time to walk the talk.”she said.

Ghanaguardian.com