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The Director of Education in the Sissala East District in the Upper West Region, Mr George Guri, has expressed concern about what he described as the alarming rate of teenage pregnancies in the district, saying the problem was affecting girl-child education in the area. At least 15 girls in basic schools in the district, including a primary four pupil, have been impregnated and two of them have been delivered of their babies. Out of the number, four are in junior high school (JHS) 1, two are in JHS 2, while seven are in JHS 3. Another girl also in primary school has had her education interrupted as a result of her pregnancy and subsequent withdrawal from the school. Mr Guri said girl-child elopement and teenage pregnancy were things that persisted in some communities in the districts, particularly among girls in the junior high school. The director of education lamented the dropout rates among girls as they progressed in age and education. �I am happy to inform you that Sissala East has consistently registered more girls than boys in school at the basic level for some time now,� he said. �I, however, hasten to add that there is an increasing number of girls who drop out of school as they get into JHS and beyond. �There are reported cases of teenage pregnancy involving children and community members. These are crimes committed back at home and within the communities, and we can only appeal to parents to be more assertive in disciplining and caring for their children at home, and taking the necessary legal action against perpetrators of elopement and teenage pregnancy,� he said. At a function in Tumu, the district capital, where the district honoured teachers within the area, the Member of Parliament for Sissala East, Madam Alijata Sulemana, said some teachers still indulged in negative attitudes, including child abuse. She praised the Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED) for its role �in motivating our young girls to enrol in school�. �We are appreciative of the financial support given to these young girls who otherwise would have been roaming the streets,� she said.