Following on from the discussion of the Minsitry of Education’s treatment of pregnant school goers, we sent our SMS subscribers the following message:

Kubatana! Should pregnant schoolgirls be excluded from school or supported to return? Email your views to Min of Ed – moesaczw [at] gmail [dot] com and cc us info [at] kubatana [dot] net

We wondered if people would support the return to stricter measures towards pregnant schoolgirls, or if they would have preferred that the Ministry kept to its August policy.

We received over 50 responses via email and SMS, across a range of opinions from punitive to supportive, with some advocating for special counselling to help young parents adjust to their new lifestyle and responsibilities.

We share their responses below:

• As a mother I feel that pregnant schoolgirls should be supported to return to school and complete their education, we are human and all make mistakes in life and learn from that.  We must remember our children are the future and education is very important. In past cases when a schoolgirl was impregnated by a schoolboy he was allowed to continue with his education while the schoolgirl was not – not fair – as it takes two – he too should have been excluded from school with her. When a single working man/married man/sugar daddy impregnates a schoolgirl he should be made through the courts to pay for the education of the schoolgirl plus maintain the child until it attains the age of 18 years.
• They should be supported and counselled.
• Expelling pregnant schoolgirls is not a wise solution. They need REAL counseling & send back to school. If one puts off fire with fire, ashes will be the remains. After our independence, pregnant mothers & girls went back to school & some of them are now professionals in various fields. Yes the schoolgirl is wrong by indulging in sex, but we can’t correct wrong with wrong.
• Should not be excluded from school but supported to return after matenity leave.
• I think pregnant schoolgirl must be excluded becoz once we consider them its like we are promoting sexual plesure.
• Ministry of Education should not exclude them because if they do so we promote abortion and child dumping.
• They should be suppoted to return to maintain the high literacy we have. If you educate a woman you educate the whole world.
• They shld b supported to return.
• She must go back to schöol
• Yes they must return to school for the benefit of their child’s future
• i write concerning school girls who should continue with school cause that is the only way they can have a better life with the siblings or else it will be worse if they drop out of school cause most these girls will have no one to look after them unless if you want to introduce what is in South Africa were the governement keeps the children until they are mature enough to look after themselves so my own option is that they should go back to school since it is a right for every child to have basic education
• Pregnant schoolgirls should not be seen even near schools because once they are allowed to attend school they will spoil other school children.The only good thing they should be given second chance after removing the child from breast feeding.
• pregnant school girls should not be allowed to go back to school ,by doing so it sends wrong message to other girls , and it will be difficult for them to be displined and whats going to happen when her due date concides with o or a level exams
• Why should we exclude pregnant girls? the gvmnt must prosecute boys who did this to girls because most the girls are being forced sex by man. Also to add on that if she continue with school may be she gonna pass the examinations and might get a better job to care of the child. Therefore to exclude pregnant girls from school does not pay good living to these girls.
• Pregnant students shloud be expelled
• They must be supported, continue with schoolwork in order to support their offspring as well as getting better employment hence being pregnant doesn’t mean the end of life.
• I   think pregnant school girls  should be excluded from school and return after she has deliver, if the boy who is responsible for the pregnant is still at school he should also be excluded until his girl has deliver, it will be fair that way
• Schoolgirls must be given  their right to learn if need arises after giving brith
• They must be supported to return.
• Pregnant skul girls shld be allowed 2 continue with their education.n.b, 2 educate a woman is educating the whle nation bt a man only one persn
• Must get support to complete school and again the gvt must have laws to protect them and their rights
• No!pregnant girls should not go back to school. the reason is that,”they wil influence other girls to get through such bad roles.”
• Definately be excluded from school.
• No they must not be allowed to school when pregnant
• School girl kana achinge ane pregnant ngaadzingwe pachikoro ipapo  kwete kuti ngaadzokere kuchikoro apo ndaramba zvachose
• They should be given second chance for their future back to school
• Pregnant school girls must return to school after giving birth
• Supported to return
• Support them
• They should return after giving birth
• They should be expelled if not that will be encouraging others and big daddies in particular
• They shouldn’t be excluded from school, but legal measures be upon the one who impregnated her.
• Pregnant schoolgirls must permited to cameback
• They should join adult shools because they are adults
• Shld be back to school after delivering sumtimes they are cheated shld attend night school
• Yes pregnant school girls should be supported to finish school not to be expelled from school because education is for all.
• No they shld be given another chance
• They should be excluded from school because their line of thought, social responsibilities will now be diffent from those not pregnant. They must attend adult classes.
• They must do night school because they can spoil other girls
• Pregnant Girls shldnt be allowed back to sch coz that wil promote more pregnancies.
• Pregnant students shloud be expelled
• Pregnart schoolgrils must return to school
• Shld supported to return cz every one how wants to lean has got the right.
• The pregnant scholars  should be supported to return  to school , but we should educate ,control and monitor  their behaviour thoroughry  so that they can have a better life.
• Yes.But night schooll 4 if we pour a cup of urine in a drum full of milk all milk is dirty.I know galz early mature & easily traped by visibl things.Falling is not wrong need counselling rather than 2 abort.
• Pregnant girls shd be xcluded frm sch as wel as the one responsible bcoz skools are not maternity hospitals,educ first bfo parenthood.
• No the pregnant school children should not be expelled from school because their are young and innocent also their are beings the same we also make mistakes
• Schoolgirls who are  pregnat should  exculded  from school.
• Supported 2 return
• children should be given their right to education including pregnant girls
• I think the girls should be allowed to return to school, but only after delivery, and the person responsible should also be made to leave, if its a teacher, he should be banned from teaching forever.
• They should be counselled and supported to go back to school after delivery
• The right thing is to support preg sch girls to come back to sch. They need to go thru counselling and rehabilitation becoz heavy psychological trauma in the process. She’s now a mother learning with girls. Will she swallow this easily? There is need for family counselling in order for parents concerned to accept this circumstance. The sch/mates. What will be their reaction? Isolation(social bulling) is most probable. It is easy to say lets support the girl back but are we aware of what it takes. It’s high time the gvt has to employ sch chaplains and counsellors at each sch. Otherwise nyadzi dzinokunda rufu. The girl will not want to come back in the face of all maner of support. Do we force her? I think prevention is cheaper than reconstruction of a damaged personality of such girls.

This entry was posted on September 17th, 2010 at 9:51 am by Amanda Atwood and is filed under Women's issues. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.