A book titled “Kadi the Barefooted Girl” that chronicled the intensity of the tribulations associated with girl child education in Northern Ghana was on Wednesday launched in Accra. The 128-paged book filled with sorrow, intrigue, humour and surprises highlighted the ordeal a young lady who lived in the Kasana Nankana district had to go through to secure education during the post independent era. Reviewing the book, Lt. Col John Buntuguh said the piece was appropriate for recent times as it provided a good challenge for the girl child who was poised to achieving greater laurels among her contemporaries. He noted that affirmative action was not a new phenomenon; rather it had been drummed many years in different ways as in the case of ‘Kadi’ who fought for her right to education in spite of the apparent opposition. Lt. Col Buntuguh intimated that though the perception at the time was that a woman’s place was the kitchen since it was seen as a preparatory ground for befitting marriage, the young lady fought by hook or crook to go to school and indeed succeeded even to a higher level. He said those days in the Northern Region for the girl child to go to school she had to overcome a lot of prejudices and that the confidence the young lady exuded in the book told what determination, in the face of obstacles could achieve. “A line in the book pictured how the people in the community took to their heels after seeing KADI who had become a medical doctor dressed in her white apparel thinking she was one of the ‘lampoo’ collectors who often dress in that manner to collect tax”. Ms Francisca Baffour, representative from the Ministry of Children and Women Affairs, who launched the book indicated that it was out of place for any one to refuse the girl child education in this 21st century. She noted that development hinged on the quality of education a nation had and stated that gender parity had so far not been achieved, adding that all hands must be on deck to ensure that the girl child is educated. Mr Snatuah Niaga, the author, said he was motivated by the plight of the girl child in trying to have education in the north and as a result begun compiling the piece which lasted for ten years. The first copy of the book was sold at four million cedis. Source: GNA