Girls in the Northern Region continue to miss months of school because they have to engage in work to support their parents.

Harvesting of groundnut (Ayuguba) as it is known is a seasonal activity where most girls abandon school and migrate to farming communities to work as farm helps for reward.

Some girls who are not in school undertake these jobs to make money to prepare themselves for marriage which makes it one of the important activities in the farming calendar for young girls like Sakina.

JoyNews visited Kula in the Sagnarigu Municipality to meet Zakaria Sakina who missed out on school for over a month because she migrated to harvest groundnut in other communities.

Sakina is a primary six pupil of the Kula Angelica Primary School. She is known by other pupils as the best student in the school.

It was therefore not surprising when the news team asked who could speak English and was smart for the interview, all the children gave credence to Sakina.

Sakina was away for two months and has just resumed school when JoyNews visited her for the interview.

Speaking to JoyNews, Sakina said she goes for the harvest because her mother has no funds to buy her books and other basic things she needs for school.

 “When I go and harvest the groundnut and come, my mother would sell some so that she can buy my school books, uniform and sandals,” she said.

Sakina said the rest of the groundnut is stored for use at home. According to her, this is her only means to help her mother so they survive.

Sakina’s mother, Nima Seidu said she is compelled to let Sakina go for the harvesting of groundnut so she can contribute to making ends meet.

She said they are worried about its effects on her education but she needs Sakina’s support to enable them to feed the rest of her children and clothe them.

“The farm the children go it’s not our fault that they have to go. We are worried because we know it affects their education but we need them to support us,” she said

She said her daughter sometimes spends up to a month or two on the farm.

Management Committee Chairman of Kula Anglican Primary School, Adam Abdallah told JoyNews it is a common phenomenon each year and it is a worrying situation.

 He said most of the pupils who drop out to go for the annual harvest are girls, adding that authorities are working hard to address the challenge.