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| 23 Fall Pregnant At Rundu School |
Twenty-three learners fell pregnant during the first trimester at the Sauyemwa Combined School in Rundu. Some of the learners have delivered already, while others will continue attending classes until they deliver.
The principal Wencislaus Kasera confirmed the shocking number to New Era on Wednesday, adding that teen pregnancy is a serious challenge at the school and urged learners to refrain from indulging in unprotected sex.
The school currently has a learner population of 14 70 in grades 5-10 of which 769 are girls. "We are working closely with the Ministry of Health and Social Services to address the problem," Kasera said.
Figures released by the Kavango Regional Council's Directorate of Education last year indicated that 432 learners across the 327 schools in the region dropped out of school after they became pregnant.
What worries authorities the most, is the fact that only 17 of the 432 pregnant girls were impregnated by schoolboys - meaning the remaining 415 were impregnated by non-school goers.
A 2011 USAID Report on Teenage Pregnancy in the region states there are three myths in the region pertaining to frequency, glamour and the importance of sex. "About frequency, young teens are led to believe that everyone is doing it and that abstinence is odd or dangerous. In terms of glamour, the hype from sexually explicit movies is at odds with the first experience of many teens. Many teens consent to sex in an attempt to keep a partner," states the report.
The report also states that school-based clubs should be expanded to all schools in the region and empowered with resources to make them more effective.
Kavango Regional Education Planner, Emilie Sitentu, told New Era yesterday that the region's Teenage Pregnancy Task Force team is in the process of drawing up an action plan to be implemented within a three-year period to address this major social problem.
"Learners tend to be very ignorant because they do not want to take advice. They are sensitised but to no avail. The very same girls who form part of the social clubs against teenage pregnancy are amongst those who end up pregnant," said a worried Sitentu. "I really urge the parents to be more open with their daughters and talk about sex with them, because the ministry cannot do it alone," she said.
Asked whether sex education is adequately addressed in the school curriculum, Sitentu answered: "It is well addressed in the curriculum in subjects such as life science, life skills and biology. Our ministry is really trying its best to tackle this issue, but the people (teenage girls) who matter most are not doing their part."
She urged young girls not to expose their bodies to sexual acts at an early stage, but rather focus on their education. "Girls should have principles, and one should be able to respect their bodies. There will be enough time to engage in those activities, therefore you have no reason to do it now while you should be focusing on your schoolwork," she said.
She also lamented the fact that parents do not report teachers who impregnate schoolgirls, saying it hinders the ministry's efforts to address teenage pregnancy. "There are incidences where the ministry dispatches officials to go and investigate reports about a teacher who impregnated a learner, but when our officials get there the parents are not willing to cooperate or they tell their daughters not to reveal the identity of the culprits," she said.
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