School heads are reportedly concerned with the increasing number of learners who are falling pregnant and dropping out of school, Parliament has been told.
Girls from as young as Grade 7 are getting pregnant and dropping out of school, despite the existence of the Education Amendment Act.
The Education Amendment Act allows pregnant girls to continue with their normal schooling activities.
Speaking in the National Assembly, Honourable Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga said the numbers are increasing and in some cases doubling.
“School heads and teachers raised concern over the increasing number of learners falling pregnant especially those sitting for ‘O’ and ‘A’ level.
“It was estimated that the cases had more than doubled and follow ups on these cases had not yielded positive results as parents felt that once a child is pregnant, they have no educational future.
“This is prevalent in both rural and urban school settings. At Magwegwe High, almost every child that the Committee interacted with knew of a colleague that was pregnant.
“Teachers indicated that although, they make follow ups and encourage the girls to come to school and write the examinations, a number were reluctant.
“At Bondamakare High School, about 10 girls got married. At Bosbury Primary School, 2 grade seven pupils got pregnant and dropped out of school,” she said.
The legislator also told the National Assembly that “some school authorities have been working tirelessly with non-governmental organisations to ensure that the girls return to school, for example, at Mukore High School, Masvingo.”.
Last year some civic society organisations petitioned Parliament to put in place laws that would children to access contraceptives.
The move was reportedly meant to prevent teen-pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases among other.
In 2025, similar efforts were made under the banner of Condomise Zimbabwe, but was shot down by parents.
Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) president Takavafira Zhou is against allowing pregnant back in normal schools. Instead, he prefers pregnant to have specialised schools that can handle their complex situation. Get more Covid-19 Stats from CovidZW.info
More school girls falling pregnant, Parly told
