Blessing Nduku
Every year thousands of teenagers are forced to abandon their education due to unplanned pregnancies.
The consequences are far-reaching leading to a lifetime of reduced opportunities, economic hardship and social isolation.
Mashona-land West legislator Mutsa Murombedzi said that these figures of teenage pregnancies especially in rural areas are a great challenge.
“These figures are worrying and show the persistent challenge of teenage pregnancy, particularly in rural areas where access to reproductive health education and services is often limited hence this issue should be addressed and action taken as soon as possible.”
Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Torerayi Moyo provided statistics of more than 4,500 female students dropping out of school due to pregnancy in 2023 with the majority of cases occurring in rural areas.
Moyo explained the troubling data as well as shared the governments plan for addressing the issue.
“For the year ending December 2023, 4557 girls dropped out of school due to pregnancy with the majority of 3942 being from the rural schools.
134 girls dropped out of primary school as a result of pregnancy meaning that the majority of drop-outs were recorded in Secondary school.”
Moyo went on to say that the Ministry has taken measures to address this issue by introducing Guidance and Counseling programs in Schools as well as equipping them with technical and vocational skills.
“As the Ministry, we are introducing Guidance and Counseling in Schools to equip the girl child in schools and also we have two routes where students will acquire technical skills while in school and for those who drop out there’s a provision under non-formal education.”
Therefore, Moyo stressed, the Education Amendment Act of 2020 allows pregnant students to remain in school and take maternity leave for two weeks with full support for their return post-birth.
