The government has revealed that Mashonaland East is leading the statistics on the number of school dropouts due to pregnancy.
The Ministry of Education revealed that last year, a total of 3,433 girls dropped out of school because of early marriages and pregnancies.
Out of the number revealed, a total of 109 girls were primary school students, which is alarming.
Mashonaland East Leading In School Dropouts Due To Pregnancy
Leading in the number of girls who dropped out of school because of pregnancy is Mashonaland East. The province had a total of 499 girls whose studies were disrupted last year.
The Deputy Minister of Education, Angeline Gata, reported that even 13-year-old girls fell pregnant. In collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme, the Ministry is trying to get people to report underage and early marriages and pregnancies.
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The Zimbabwean law states that it is a crime for someone of legal age to be in a physical relationship with a child under the age of 18. Despite this law, cases of early pregnancies in underage girls continue to be recorded across the country.
The education system also passed a law allowing girls to be readmitted to schools despite being pregnant. Last year, 667 girls out of a total of 3433 were readmitted.
“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.
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Parliament Raises Concerns Of Rape
MP mutsa Murombedi questioned if any of the reported pregnancies were linked to rape after hearing the alarming number of dropouts.
“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.
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The post Mashonaland East Leads In Statistics Of School Dropouts Due To Pregnancy appeared first on iHarare News.
