Nana Yaa Adanse Poduo II, the Paramount Queen-Mother of the Odomase Number One Traditional Area in the Sunyani West Municipality, has entreated girls to 'stay away' from boys to escape the temptation of engaging in premarital and sexual perversions. She emphasised that pre-marital and sexual perversion could only ruin their future and advised girls to concentrate on their studies. Nana Poduo II gave the advice when she presented boxes of sanitary pads to the form three girls of the Odomase Municipal Assembly and the Presbyterian Basic Schools at Odomase, the municipal capital. She said early or unprotected sexual behaviours would not only make girls pregnant, but also expose them to sexually transmitted infections, which would affect their health as well. Sexual intercourse, the queen-mother explained, remained a reserve for the married, saying, pre-marital sex had ruined the lives of many talented and promising girls in the area. 'There are several young girls like you who failed to heed advice, but the y have now regretted it,' Nana Poduo II indicated, and advised the boys against alcoholism and substance abuse, which would put their health in danger. Mrs Mavis Afowaa, the Headmistress of the Odomase Presbyterian Basic School, expressed appreciation to the queen-mother for the gesture and appealed for more support towards the renovation of the classrooms. She said virtually all the roofing of the classroom blocks had leakages, saying the school authorities were always left with no option but to close the school during rainy seasons. Besides, Mrs Afowaa said because the school had not seen any major renovation, the classroom blocks had developed cracks which threatened the lives of the pupils and students. At the M/A Basic School, Mr Abraham Kwasi Yeboah, the Acting Headmaster, also thanked the queen-mother for the pads, and appealed for support towards the on-going construction of a female urinal for the teachers. On behalf of the Odomase Number One Traditional Council, the Paramount Queen-mother pledg ed to support the project with 30 bags of cement. Source: Ghana News Agency