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Five thousand one hundred and six (5106)
430 were recorded among females aged between 13 and 15, while the remaining 4682 pregnancies were recorded among females aged between 16 and 19 out of the total number.
The Member of Parliament for the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem (KEEA) constituency Samuel Atta Mills has revealed the high rate of teenage pregnancies in the Central region.
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According to the MP, "When you look at those who impregnated these children, primary school teachers were 301, tertiary school teachers were 48, small-scale farmers were 986, large-scale farmers were 62, fishermen were 295, clerical officers 1, health workers 1, lawyers 4, engineers 11, drivers 676, masons 232, students 187, carpenters 93, traders 173, motor bike riders 35, galamsey workers 397."
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He said "teenage pregnancy is a problem in the Central Region but I wanted to bring out these numbers. It is not only Central Region that has this problem, but it’s because of unemployment."
He said stringent measures must be employed to arrest the menace as the teenage girls mostly end up as school dropout.
"I want to emphasise the need for the Ghana Education Service to make sure that where and when there is evidence to show that a person entrusted with the responsibility of educating our youth abuses his power by taking advantage covertly and has that type of relationship with a female student which occasions a pregnancy, then that teacher should not only be dismissed but should be severely punished."