Dozen schoolgirls drop out due to pregnancy
Published: 2013 November 25 16:00:18 (5057 Views)
ABOUT 14 schoolgirls at Nechilibi Secondary School in Mabale, Hwange district, are reported to have dropped out of school due to either pregnancy or marriage, Sunday News has learnt.
According to sources close to the development, the girls, most of whom were sitting for their O-level examinations, fell prey to injiva and omalayitsha who are popular in the area.
Injiva is a popular name for Zimbabweans who work in South Africa, while omalayitsha transport goods between the two countries.
Hwange acting district education officer, Mr Lovemore Ncube, confirmed the development but said his office was still investigating the matter.
According to Mr Ncube, the school suffered a dropout of 42 pupils during the second term with 19 absconding lessons while nine got married and five had fallen pregnant.
"We are looking into the issue, however, I can confirm that about 42 students have dropped out of school at Nechilibi secondary. Out of that figure, five dropped out due to pregnancy while early marriages claimed nine. Early marriages and pregnancy are a cause for concern in rural schools and as a ministry we are working with relevant stakeholders such as the School Development Committees and NGOs to address the issue," Mr Ncube said.
He also said hunger in the district was one of the major factors contributing to the high dropout at schools in Hwange.
Authorities at the school professed ignorance over the development, arguing that some had been sent away due to non-payment of school fees while others had just decided to abscond classes.
"We are not aware of what you are asking but a certain number went home due to unpaid fees or simply absconded classes. I cannot give you those kind of details you will have to talk to the DEO, he is the one who is cleared to talk to the Press," said one teacher, who refused to be named for professional reasons.
Efforts to get a comment from the School Development Committee chairperson were fruitless.
However, his deputy, Mr Fanuel Ncube, confirmed the development, saying he did not know the exact figure but had since asked the school authorities to investigate the matter.
"Yes, I can confirm that there are such cases at Nechilibi secondary. However, I'm unable to give you the exact figure because I don't know.
I have since asked the headmaster and senior teacher to supply the committee with the figures so that we can be able to address the issue. I would, however, like to point out that pupils here have a tendency of saying they no longer want school, so it's also part of the reason for the increase in drop-outs," said Ncube.
Commenting on the issue, Girl Child Network provincial co-ordinator, Mrs Susan Chimowa expressed shock at the development, arguing that her organisation had established structures in schools to ensure that such incidents did not occur.
"I'm very surprised with the news because that is a very huge figure that is a cause for concern. We trained teachers at the said school and went on to establish Girls Empowerment Clubs where girls discuss issues affecting them and including empowerment topics. I will look into the issue through the relevant authorities," said Chimowa.
The founder and director of Hopeville Zimbabwe, an organisation that focuses on development of wills and compliance with the inheritance and maintenance laws as a way of reducing the vulnerability of orphans and vulnerable children, Mrs Ruth Bikwa, said the situation was unfortunate and expressed fear that some of the girls could be orphans whose vulnerability would increase.
"As Hopeville Zimbabwe we have fears that some of these girls are orphans who become more exposed to vulnerability due to issues that are often not discussed such as wills, inheritance and maintenance. It has to be realised that due to lack of basics some girls are lured into prostitution as a means of survival while in some cases those looking after them may force them into early marriage or prostitution," said Mrs Bikwa.
She called on parents to write wills so that relatives do not end up looting their estates or force children, especially the girl child, into prostitution in an effort to survive when they die.
"It's important for parents to put down their wishes so as to avoid such cases which are brought about by a need for survival. Divorced parents should not neglect their children as they still need love sand care together with provisions for basics," she said.
Social commentators have called for more sex education in rural areas so that teenagers make informed choices when it comes to reproductive health issues. They argue that the problem is compounded by rural pupils lacking role models in their areas, which makes schoolgirls fail to value their education, hence the need to empower the girl child through counselling and career guidance seminars.
- Sunday News
According to sources close to the development, the girls, most of whom were sitting for their O-level examinations, fell prey to injiva and omalayitsha who are popular in the area.
Injiva is a popular name for Zimbabweans who work in South Africa, while omalayitsha transport goods between the two countries.
Hwange acting district education officer, Mr Lovemore Ncube, confirmed the development but said his office was still investigating the matter.
According to Mr Ncube, the school suffered a dropout of 42 pupils during the second term with 19 absconding lessons while nine got married and five had fallen pregnant.
"We are looking into the issue, however, I can confirm that about 42 students have dropped out of school at Nechilibi secondary. Out of that figure, five dropped out due to pregnancy while early marriages claimed nine. Early marriages and pregnancy are a cause for concern in rural schools and as a ministry we are working with relevant stakeholders such as the School Development Committees and NGOs to address the issue," Mr Ncube said.
He also said hunger in the district was one of the major factors contributing to the high dropout at schools in Hwange.
Authorities at the school professed ignorance over the development, arguing that some had been sent away due to non-payment of school fees while others had just decided to abscond classes.
"We are not aware of what you are asking but a certain number went home due to unpaid fees or simply absconded classes. I cannot give you those kind of details you will have to talk to the DEO, he is the one who is cleared to talk to the Press," said one teacher, who refused to be named for professional reasons.
Efforts to get a comment from the School Development Committee chairperson were fruitless.
However, his deputy, Mr Fanuel Ncube, confirmed the development, saying he did not know the exact figure but had since asked the school authorities to investigate the matter.
"Yes, I can confirm that there are such cases at Nechilibi secondary. However, I'm unable to give you the exact figure because I don't know.
I have since asked the headmaster and senior teacher to supply the committee with the figures so that we can be able to address the issue. I would, however, like to point out that pupils here have a tendency of saying they no longer want school, so it's also part of the reason for the increase in drop-outs," said Ncube.
Commenting on the issue, Girl Child Network provincial co-ordinator, Mrs Susan Chimowa expressed shock at the development, arguing that her organisation had established structures in schools to ensure that such incidents did not occur.
"I'm very surprised with the news because that is a very huge figure that is a cause for concern. We trained teachers at the said school and went on to establish Girls Empowerment Clubs where girls discuss issues affecting them and including empowerment topics. I will look into the issue through the relevant authorities," said Chimowa.
The founder and director of Hopeville Zimbabwe, an organisation that focuses on development of wills and compliance with the inheritance and maintenance laws as a way of reducing the vulnerability of orphans and vulnerable children, Mrs Ruth Bikwa, said the situation was unfortunate and expressed fear that some of the girls could be orphans whose vulnerability would increase.
"As Hopeville Zimbabwe we have fears that some of these girls are orphans who become more exposed to vulnerability due to issues that are often not discussed such as wills, inheritance and maintenance. It has to be realised that due to lack of basics some girls are lured into prostitution as a means of survival while in some cases those looking after them may force them into early marriage or prostitution," said Mrs Bikwa.
She called on parents to write wills so that relatives do not end up looting their estates or force children, especially the girl child, into prostitution in an effort to survive when they die.
"It's important for parents to put down their wishes so as to avoid such cases which are brought about by a need for survival. Divorced parents should not neglect their children as they still need love sand care together with provisions for basics," she said.
Social commentators have called for more sex education in rural areas so that teenagers make informed choices when it comes to reproductive health issues. They argue that the problem is compounded by rural pupils lacking role models in their areas, which makes schoolgirls fail to value their education, hence the need to empower the girl child through counselling and career guidance seminars.
- Sunday News
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