LAST year, 3,433 girls were forced out of school as a result of early marriages and adolescent pregnancies, the government has revealed.
Of these, 3,324 were secondary school pupils, while 109 dropped out of primary school–a damning statistic in the country’s fight against underage pregnancies.
Mashonaland East recorded the highest number of dropouts, with 499 girls’ education disrupted by teenage pregnancy.
Speaking in Parliament recently, Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Angeline Gata painted a grim picture, reporting that girls as young as 13 had fallen pregnant.
“We visited a school in Manicaland. While conducting monitoring and evaluation, we asked the headmaster to provide statistics on any dropouts at the school. He mentioned that two 13-year-old girls had dropped out due to pregnancy,” the deputy minister said.
“We need the support of everybody–the MPs here–so that, to reduce these cases of early marriages and pregnancies, we must work together as a community. We must advocate for our girls–all of us here,” said Gata.
The ministry has partnered with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and child protection agencies, leading to increased reporting of early marriages and teenage pregnancies.
Despite the government’s stance and legislation against relationships with girls under the age of 18, cases of early marriages and adolescent pregnancies continue to be recorded.
Gata also stated that, out of the 3,433 affected girls, 667 had been readmitted into the school system.
“We have readmitted girls into our schools. Of the 3,433, 467 who were married have returned to school. Additionally, 710 pregnant girls have been readmitted,” said Gata.
Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) Member of Parliament Mutsa Murombedzi challenged the government over the high dropout rate, noting that some pregnancies were linked to rape.
“Are any arrests being made? It is good that we have the Hon. Minister of Home Affairs here–perhaps they can address these questions together so we understand the government’s approach to this problem of early pregnancies, given that some involve rape,” said Murombedzi.
EduTimes Africa, a product of Education Times Africa, is a magazine publication that aims to lend its support to close the yawning gap in Africa's educational development.