Alarming concern over teenage pregnancy in Mpumalanga

The Department of Education in Mpumalanga has raised concern about the alarming rate of teenage pregnancy in the country.

This after the convened a Learner Pregnancy Prevention and Management Policy Workshop in Mbombela this week.

Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga said recently in a written parliamentary reply to a question that 91 000 learners fell pregnant last year.

The teenage pregnancy rate has been increasing over the years. The department has been trying to work with other stakeholders to identify people who impregnate young girls. Some of the learners who fell pregnant were between the ages of 10 and 14.

The provincial department in Mpumalanga said the rate of learner pregnancy in South Africa was alarming and had become a major challenge at schools as it affected the lives of thousands of young people, often limiting their personal growth and their pursuit of rewarding careers.

The focus of the workshop was to engage with and lobby key education stakeholders to support the department in addressing factors that are contributing to the high rate of teenage pregnancy in the province.

The workshop was part of the department’s co-ordinated multi-sectoral response aimed at addressing barriers to learning and development that prevent children from realising their right to education.

The department said the policy would guide efforts to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies, manage pre- and post-natal consequences, limit the discrimination and stigma associated with teenage pregnancy, and retain and re-enrol affected learners in school.

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