Sixty-one basic school girls in the Akatsi-North District of the Volta Region, got pregnant during the past two months and are now out of school.

Dr. Anthony Ashinyo, the District Director of health, disclosed this to The Ghanaian Times, at Ave-Dakpa yesterday, and said the girls were between the ages of 12 and 19.

He described the situation as very alarming, considering the fact that during the whole of last year, 120 of such cases were recorded in the district, with a population of 34,400.

The frightening figures may just be a tip of the iceberg because not all of such cases are reported at the Government Health Centre at Ave-Dakpa, the district capital,” he emphasized.

According to Dr. Ashinyo, the men who impregnated the girls were adults between the ages of 20 and 47.

He said a recent survey by the health centre also revealed that there is a high trend of girls under the age of 16 getting married, due to deep-rooted cultural beliefs in the district.

The District Chief Executive, Mr. James Gunu, blamed the situation largely on widespread parental neglect in the district.

He also revealed that in 2013, all the female candidates of the West African Senior School Certificate Extermination (WASSCE) at Matsrikasa, also in the district were pregnant.

Mr. Gunu assured that the Assembly was collaborating with the Ghana Education Service, and PTAs to adopt the appropriate measures to reverse the trend.