Govt issues revised rules on school pregnancy
Oct 22, 2020
The education ministry has joined parents and schools in the fight against pregnancies in schools by outlining new rules.
A boy who makes a girl pregnant in school will have to leave and only return after the girl has given birth and the girl will also be required to stay away from school until delivery. This is one of the measures in a 35-page education ministry 2020 revised guidelines on prevention and management of teenage pregnancy in schools.
"In case the father is a fellow learner, he will be given mandatory leave at the same time the girl goes on leave. This might act as a deterrent and lesson to other boys. He will only return to school after she has delivered," the guidelines read.
The revised guidelines have generated mixed reactions among gender activists. Prudence Nyamishana, an activist and team leader at Kweta Uganda, says this is a good move to make the boys accountable as well.
"Why should a girl miss school and the boy, who is responsible, continue with classes? What the education ministry has done is a good thing. It takes two to tangle. In fact, the boy should not be taken back to the village, he is likely to make more girls pregnant. He should be taken to a rehabilitation centre so that he learns a few lessons," Nyamishana said.
SAVE THE BOY
However, Christine Semambo Sempebwa, a member of Forum for African Women Educationists (FAWE) Uganda Chapter, says the ministry should not throw the boy child under the bus if he impregnates a fellow student, but should be counselled.
"Both the girl and boy are juveniles, so when you send the boy away what are you trying to achieve? What if he becomes an alcoholic when he is away from school? Instead of sending them away, support these children. The ministry should address the reasons why girls are getting pregnant to prevent the problem," Ssemambo says.
Alex Kakooza, the education ministry's permanent secretary, in a phone interview, told New Vision that all schools are to register the pregnant girls so that they can continue with their studies and sit their final exams.
A Police crime report published in July 2020 indicates that 4,442 cases of defilement were reported between January and May 2020, including cases of teenage pregnancies and early marriages, estimated at 17 %.
"Pregnancy is more than education, it is also a health issue. We are requesting schools to allow the girls register and after they go back home. Because it is also a health issue, the girls will not be able to stay in boarding section," Kakooza says.
Kakooza explains that parents will seek re-admission of their daughter to school when the baby is at least six months. "All schools are expected to prioritise the admission of young mothers after pregnancy and parents are called upon to report schools that have refused to admit their daughters to the district education officer," Kakooza says.
Ismail Mulindwa, the director of basic and secondary schools at the education ministry, says pregnant teenagers should be given a second chance to study.
"Girls are not getting pregnant because of coronavirus, even before COVID-19 we had many cases of girls getting pregnant. Those who are pregnant should not be written off because we have many girls who have studied while pregnant and have made it in life," Mulindwa says.
Mulindwa adds that most of the girls who got pregnant were raped and others forced by parents into relationships because of economic and cultural issues. So, if they are not given a second chance, the ministry would not have achieved its plans of ensuring that all girls are educated and become responsible citizens.
Mulindwa says after the teenage mothers have registered for examinations, they will go back home and study from there, to avoid stigma.
"Schools are going to send reading materials to these girls so that they can be able to study and also attend antenatal visits. That means pregnant mothers will not be able to study in a boarding sections because they need a lot of attention from healthcare centres," Mulindwa says.
UNESCO estimates that 130 million girls were out of school before COVID-19 and estimates that 11million girls will be out of school due to COVID-19 pandemic.
GENDER EXPERTS SPEAK OUT
Civil society organisations under the Coalition on Girls Empowerment met recently and urged schools to protect and provide a conducive environment for pregnant girls to continue with studies.
Elliot Orizaarwa, the co-ordinator of the coalition, observes that since many girls have been impregnated during the COVID-19 period, the education ministry should budget for issues concerning teenage pregnancy to ensure that young mothers are assisted while at school.
"Social norms surrounding expectant girls attending school are stigma. Failure of expectant young mothers to return to school robs them of their future, right to education, increases household poverty and directly affects the economy of the country," Orizaarwa says.
Viola Ayebale, the advocacy and communications officer for Women and Girl Child Development Association, explains that education is a human right not a privilege that can be withdrawn as a punishment when a girl gets pregnant.
Peace Kyamureku, the director of Excel Millenium High School, says school owners and administrators should be the ambassadors in supporting teenage mothers to complete their studies.
"These are the important people to have the right attitude towards pregnant girls. Some teachers and administrators fear that girls getting pregnant at school may turn their schools into marriage institutions," Kyamureku says.
The activists stressed that a girl is an asset to the country, especially if she is educated.
REVISED GUIDELINES
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According to the guidelines, the school shall keep in touch with a pregnant girl so as to monitor what is happening and provide necessary moral, emotional and spiritual support. Counselling for both the girl and her parents shall be continued.
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The guidelines require the school to keep records about a boy who impregnates a girl. This will be useful in tracking him. Such records will be transferred to the boy's new school in case he changes schools. For this reason, schools are required to formally check with the learner's previous school about his involvement in cases of pregnancy.
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Efforts shall be made by the headteacher to work with parents to establish the circumstances leading to the pregnancy and obtain information about the father. The school shall support parents to take action, including legal if a father of the baby is an adult. For adolescent fathers still at school, the school shall provide counselling.
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Those who make the girls pregnant will be exposed as part of tracking and reporting sexual violence against children, provided it is in the best interest of the girl.
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If a fellow learner is responsible for the pregnancy, he shall be counselled and his parents invited to school for counselling. Both the boy and his parents will sign a committal statement to support the girl and the baby.
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Each school is expected to have a school health committee with a trained counsellor who maybe a school staff or a counsellor from the nearby health facility to provide general counselling to the learners and testing for pregnancy.
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The school shall develop or strengthen mechanisms of following up with the girl until she delivers and returns to school. Schools are expected to come up with a timetable and hold an advocacy school week with activities aimed at preventing teenage pregnancy.
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Schools are requested to conduct sexuality education and teach life skills using age-appropriate messages as defined in the national sexuality education framework.