Mrs. Elizabeth Ayire Mwinkaar, Upper East Regional Director of Education, at the weekend called on all first and second cycle schools in the Upper East Region to form virgin clubs to promote sexual abstinence among school children. She suggested that such clubs should include secondary virgins to be made up of children who were already sexually active but wanted to stop engaging in sex activities. Mrs. Mwinkaar was speaking in Navrongo, where she met with teachers to listen to research findings on 'Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health School survey,' carried out by the Navrongo Health Research Centre (NHR). She asked teachers to collaborate with health workers to educate school children on the effects of drugs and other health related matters on their development. Edward Logobasam Puruse, Kassena Nankana District Director of Education, appealed to teachers to put up their best to enable school children pass their examinations. Dr. John Williams, health personnel of the NHRC, said a woman could cause an abortion only when there was a high possibility that the pregnancy could affect the mother either physically or mentally or the foetus. He said the practice could only be carried out by a qualified registered medical doctor at a registered health institution. He cautioned young women against illegal abortions, saying it was not only punishable by law but could have adverse effects on their health. Source: GNA