Barriers Affecting Retention of Girls in Schools in the Amasaman Circuit in the Ga West Municipality of the Greater Accra Region of Ghana

Abstract

This research sought to explore the barriers to the retention of girls in school at the basic level in the Amasaman Circuit in the Ga West Municipality of the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. It focused on the background characteristics of girls who drop-out from schools and the causes of school drop-out among girls in the Amasaman Circuit. The study adopted both quantitative and qualitative approaches (mixed method). The specific method adopted by the study was concurrent nested. The purposive sampling and snow balling methods were used to select 30 drop-out girls, 60 regular pupils, 12 parents of drop-outs, 12 parents of regular pupils, 12 teachers from selected schools, 4 assembly members and one officer from the girl-child of the Ga West Municipality for the study. The main instruments used to collect data were interviews and academic records. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse data. It was realized that the major barriers affecting retention of girls in school include teenage pregnancy and financial problems. The study recommends that stakeholders should establish mechanisms to prevent teenage pregnancies in basic schools since it is the main cause of school dropouts among girls.