Bridging the Educational Gender Gap: Community-Led Mentorship Programs for Adolescent Girls in Rural Ghana

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 1, January 2026 | pp. 33–40
DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/000105

Case Study Article

Bridging the Educational Gender Gap: Community-Led Mentorship Programs for Adolescent Girls in Rural Ghana

Efua Mensah¹, Kofi Owusu²

¹Department of Educational Foundations, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
²Institute for Development Studies, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana

Abstract: Despite national free secondary education policies in Ghana, adolescent girls in rural agrarian districts experience high dropout rates driven by early pregnancy, domestic burdens, and menstrual poverty. This article evaluates a two-year community-led mentorship intervention implemented across 15 junior high schools in the Central Region. Using a quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test control group design, tracking 600 female students aged 12 to 16 years, we measured changes in school retention rates and academic self-efficacy. Statistical evaluation using a chi-square test of independence demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in dropout rates from 18.5 percent in the control cohort to 4.2 percent in the intervention cohort (p < 0.001). Key success factors included peer-led reproductive health workshops, distribution of reusable sanitary products, and parental engagement seminars addressing cultural barriers to female education. The findings suggest that localized, mentorship-driven support models effectively complement national educational policies.

Keywords: Educational equity, adolescent girls, rural Ghana, mentorship, school retention, menstrual hygiene

Manuscript Timeline: Received: November 10, 2025; Revised: December 12, 2025; Accepted: December 24, 2025; Published: January 28, 2026

Citation: Mensah, E., & Owusu, K. (2026). Bridging the Educational Gender Gap: Community-Led Mentorship Programs for Adolescent Girls in Rural Ghana. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(1), 33–40. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/000105

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