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More than 8,000 primary and secondary school
girls in Tanzania each year are forced to abandon studies due to
pregnancy, it was disclosed in Moshi last week.
To make matters worse, many of the kids born by the school dropouts end up as street children because their parents cannot afford paying for their up keep and education.
A lawyer with the Child Rights Forum Mr. Jones John challenged policy makers to address the situation because it has led to escalating problems for the youth and the society in general.
He made the remarks during a training workshop on upbringing of the adolescents and the youth. The event was sponsored by the Nairobi-based non-governmental organization in collaboration with Mkombozi Children's Centre of Moshi.
Mr. John said it was pity that school girls become mothers at a young age, forcing them out of school and without any future life prospects because in most cases those who made them pregnant would abandon them.
He added that although in principle the government has agreed to re-admit to school girls who become pregnant after delivery, practically this has not been the case because such girls shied away from schools.
"They have failed to return to schools because as mothers they cannot abandon their kids and other domestic responsibilities", he pointed out.
However, the legal expert said NGOs and other civil society organizations have the responsibility to address the problem, adding that this should include devising better methods to enable under age mothers to continue with education without necessarily reporting back to their former schools.
The social welfare officer with the Moshi Municipal Council Ms Agnes Urassa called on the parents to talk to their children on reproductive health and how to avoid getting pregnant while still in school.
To make matters worse, many of the kids born by the school dropouts end up as street children because their parents cannot afford paying for their up keep and education.
A lawyer with the Child Rights Forum Mr. Jones John challenged policy makers to address the situation because it has led to escalating problems for the youth and the society in general.
He made the remarks during a training workshop on upbringing of the adolescents and the youth. The event was sponsored by the Nairobi-based non-governmental organization in collaboration with Mkombozi Children's Centre of Moshi.
Mr. John said it was pity that school girls become mothers at a young age, forcing them out of school and without any future life prospects because in most cases those who made them pregnant would abandon them.
He added that although in principle the government has agreed to re-admit to school girls who become pregnant after delivery, practically this has not been the case because such girls shied away from schools.
"They have failed to return to schools because as mothers they cannot abandon their kids and other domestic responsibilities", he pointed out.
However, the legal expert said NGOs and other civil society organizations have the responsibility to address the problem, adding that this should include devising better methods to enable under age mothers to continue with education without necessarily reporting back to their former schools.
The social welfare officer with the Moshi Municipal Council Ms Agnes Urassa called on the parents to talk to their children on reproductive health and how to avoid getting pregnant while still in school.
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