Teen Pregnancies: Mliswa blames Parly for allowing pregnant girls back in schools
Norton legislator Temba Mliswa says Parliament is to blame for the increase in cases of teen pregnancies in Zimbabwe because they enacted a law that allows pregnant girls to continue with school.
The Parliament of Zimbabwe passed the provisions of the Education Amendment Bill which was signed into law by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in August 2020.
Prior to the amendments of the law, school authorities could expel a girl for falling pregnant but spare the boy responsible for the same pregnancy, and this was largely viewed as discriminatory against the girl child.
However, Honourable Mliswa is of the view that enacting those amendments opened floodgates for teen pregnancies in the country.
The self-styled legislator had previously opposed the Bill when it came for debate in the National Assembly but was surprised that it was passed.
Just recently the 3rd Report of the Portfolio Committee on Primary and Secondary Education on the Provision of Sanitary Wear in Rural Schools revealed that more underage girls continue to get pregnant
According to the Committee the majority of girls who dropped out of school in areas they visited, had dropped out due to early marriages and pregnancy.
For example, Chatiza High School in Mutoko District according to the report, had the highest known record of school drop-outs in the district as 27 learners, all aged between 15 and 17 years, dropped out of school in 2021.
It said 19 girls were married off or fell pregnant while nine boys dropped out of school. Chimoyo High School lost 11 learners aged between 14 and 17 due to pregnancies and early marriages in 2021.
Writing on his Twitter handle, Honourable Mliswa said ‘’Parliament is culpable for the spike in early pregnancy cases as reported by the Daily News. The paper said 5000 cases were reported early this year within a month. This matter came to Parliament and some legislators were adamant in supporting legislation that is complicit in this.
‘’In Parliament, some legislators defended the statutes allowing pupils to continue with school even after getting pregnant. I disputed this and said we don’t want to appear complicit in encouraging early pregnancy as in this Hansard.’’
The legislator said some of the laws being enacted by Parliament have huge repercussions and people should not be surprised by the eventual results
‘’Some of these laws have repercussions and these increments are one of the results. Now that the negative results are manifesting, they are acting surprised and outraged! What did you expect?
‘’We have to put safeguards and measures that don’t molly-coddle pupils in matters that can drastically impact their lives. The impression and impact of the laws we put should emphasise and explicitly show that it’s risk to indulge in certain actions.
‘’These include premarital or underage sex. We cannot be swept along by emotions and mass hysteria advocating for a dangerous law opening us to such shocking numbers in teenage and underage pregnancies,’’ he said. –
Teen Pregnancies: Mliswa blames Parly for allowing pregnant girls back in schools
