Assessing the Effect of Teenage Pregnancy on Achieving Universal Basic Education in Ghana: A Case Study of Upper Denkyira West District

Abstract

The consequences of teenage pregnancy are gigantic and inimical to the wellbeing of adolescent population as well as development in the broad-spectrum. As a result, this study assessed the effect of teenage pregnancy on achieving universal basic education in Ghana: A case study of Upper Denkyira West District. The research design employed for this study was the mixed approach. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were applied for the study. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques were applied in selecting respondents for the study and the sample size was 80. Questionnaire, structured interview and observation were the research instruments used to collect the data from the teenage mothers. Findings reveal that overpowering majority of 96.25% of the respondents stated that they have stopped school as a result of teenage pregnancy and teenagers mainly get educated on sex through their friends. The study concluded that that there are several factors that cause teenage pregnancy, teenagers principally depend of sex education from their peers and teenage and teenage pregnancy negatively impedes the goal of achieving universal basic education in Ghana and recommended that More effort is still indispensable to do with regards to particularly, the enforcement of relevant legal provisions and harnessing political will for adequate investment in adolescent related policies and programmes and the need for stringent enforcement of the laws against child-marriages and strict pursuance of the Free and Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE).

Keyword: Teenage pregnancy, adolescent health, universal education, Ghana, sexuality