Pregnant students policy to be reviewed
Nov 09, 2008
THE education ministry is considering a policy that seeks to stop pregnant students from sitting examinations, education minister Namirembe Bitamazire said yesterday.
By Fortunate Ahimbisibwe and Ronald Kalyango
THE education ministry is considering a policy that seeks to stop pregnant students from sitting examinations, education minister Namirembe Bitamazire said yesterday.
Bitamazire said there is an increasing number of students who get pregnant before examinations, which had become an inconvenience to schools.
“The school is meant for studying and not producing children. If we allow this trend to continue, we may have to train teachers as midwives. And this is not possible,†she said in an interview.
Bitamazire said the ministry would soon come up with a strict policy on pregnant students. The current policy is that pregnant students should be expelled, but can be allowed to sit for examinations.
Bitamazire said although students are currently allowed to sit examinations when they are pregnant or when they have just delivered, the trend is unhealthy and sets a bad precedent for younger girls.
“We cannot be seen to condone a situation where girls get pregnant when they are still in school. This is immorality and it should be discouraged,†she said.
“We are reviewing that policy to make it more stringent so that we discourage girls from getting pregnant while still in school,†she said, adding: “Why can’t they wait to finish the education cycle and they can start having children. Schools have been inconvenienced by such cases where a mother has to go and feed a baby in the middle of an examination. This situation is undesirable.â€
Last month, Kibibi Secondary School had blocked Fatuma Nansamba, a Senior Six student, from sitting her final examinations after she gave birth. However, the student was recently allowed to do the examinations under isolation. On Friday, the 19-year-old student was blocked from the briefing to prevent her from interact with other students.
Meanwhile, the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has deployed 450 scouts and Police detectives to monitor the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) Examinations which begin today.
UNEB’s executive secretary Matthew Bukenya on Saturday told journalists that 89,921 students would sit the examinations this year compared to 86,021 last year.
THE education ministry is considering a policy that seeks to stop pregnant students from sitting examinations, education minister Namirembe Bitamazire said yesterday.
Bitamazire said there is an increasing number of students who get pregnant before examinations, which had become an inconvenience to schools.
“The school is meant for studying and not producing children. If we allow this trend to continue, we may have to train teachers as midwives. And this is not possible,†she said in an interview.
Bitamazire said the ministry would soon come up with a strict policy on pregnant students. The current policy is that pregnant students should be expelled, but can be allowed to sit for examinations.
Bitamazire said although students are currently allowed to sit examinations when they are pregnant or when they have just delivered, the trend is unhealthy and sets a bad precedent for younger girls.
“We cannot be seen to condone a situation where girls get pregnant when they are still in school. This is immorality and it should be discouraged,†she said.
“We are reviewing that policy to make it more stringent so that we discourage girls from getting pregnant while still in school,†she said, adding: “Why can’t they wait to finish the education cycle and they can start having children. Schools have been inconvenienced by such cases where a mother has to go and feed a baby in the middle of an examination. This situation is undesirable.â€
Last month, Kibibi Secondary School had blocked Fatuma Nansamba, a Senior Six student, from sitting her final examinations after she gave birth. However, the student was recently allowed to do the examinations under isolation. On Friday, the 19-year-old student was blocked from the briefing to prevent her from interact with other students.
Meanwhile, the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has deployed 450 scouts and Police detectives to monitor the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) Examinations which begin today.
UNEB’s executive secretary Matthew Bukenya on Saturday told journalists that 89,921 students would sit the examinations this year compared to 86,021 last year.