Commission for Gender Equality highlight barriers facing teen mothers from returning to school
Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) CEO, Dr Dennis Matotoka, not only highlighted some of the issues affecting their work in tackling teen pregnancy, but also some of the barriers preventing teens from staying in or returning to school.
Matotoka discussed these issues during a recent briefing to the Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities.
Factors leading to teenage pregnancy, as listed by the CGE include: Knowledge, access and the use of contraception services, minimum or lack of parental involvement, socio-economic factors, substance abuse, individual factors, household factors, and school-related factors, and statutory rape, older sexual partners and teacher-scholar sexual relations.
“Research revealed that a third of adolescent girls who become pregnant in South Africa return to school, with each year that passes after giving birth decreasing chances of ever returning to school.
“Research also shows that pregnancy is among the causes of school disruption, at particularly, the secondary school level, and that in many cases the birth of a baby marked the end of schooling for adolescent mothers,” Matotoka explained.
He pointed to a study concluded by the Human Sciences Research Council (HRSC) which showed that more than 6% of pregnant teenagers did not return to school after the two years as enforced by the Department of Basic Education (DOH).
“The CGE, therefore, conducted this study to make meaningful contributions to the body of knowledge relating to the factors that influence pregnant learners and adolescent mothers to not return to school postpartum, to make policy recommendations as well as to fulfil its mandate.”
Matotoka explained that many participants in their study expressed fear of being stigmatised and the preconceived healthcare workers’ negative attitudes as a barrier to return.
“Adolescents feared using contraception services provided through the mobile health clinic in schools but preferred using the fast-lane contraceptive option available at the local clinic, given the privacy or secrecy that this option presented.
“The DOH fast-lane contraceptive option offered scholars the opportunity to bypass long queues at clinics. This afforded scholars the opportunity to return to school faster after receiving contraceptive services,” Matotoka said.
“It must be noted, however, that in provinces such as the Eastern Cape, parents pushed back against the presence of mobile clinics in schools claiming that the availability of contraceptives ignited early sexual debut.”
He also highlighted that the CGE conducts policy dialogues to engage with key stakeholders on important policy and programming issues arising from its monitoring and research reports.
The progress that was reported by the CGE can be found here.
Last month chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education, Joy Maimela, said teenage pregnancy remained a significant challenge in South Africa and profoundly affected the lives of young girls and the broader society.
“Poverty, limited access to education, and inadequate health care contribute to the high rate of teenage pregnancy,” she said, adding that instances of sexual violence and cases involving older men increased the vulnerability among young girls.
“The committee plans to work collaboratively with other committees to address the matter and a draft concept document has been published to solicit public input on issues of teenage pregnancy and statutory rape.
“We are doing this jointly because it negatively affects young girls’ completion of school,” she said.
Maimela noted with concern that many of the affected victims became pregnant as early as 10 years as has been reported following the recent coverage on Christmas and New Year babies. She said the matter called for a societal approach.
Gauteng MEC for Health and Wellness, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko recently drew criticism for her comments that some of the teenage pregnancies were as a result of children being raped and “that is why we are coming with the Implanon that we are inserting on the left arm of a child so that the child doesn’t have to take pills”.
However, The Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) said they took note of the discourse and “wished to allay concerns that have arisen out of an incorrect impression that the department intends to compel schoolgirls aged 12 years and above to receive contraceptives without their own consent”.
“During her visit to schools, the MEC emphasised the importance of sexual reproductive health education and the role of parental involvement in discussions about the overall health of their children.
“MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko highlighted that just as parents provide consent for immunisation and other health services through the Integrated School Health Programme (ISHP), they should also be aware of available sexual and reproductive health and rights services, such as a range of contraceptive mix methods, STI prevention, screening and management which are accessible to their young ones,” they said.
“These services include subdermal implants, a long-acting contraceptive, alongside other methods such as condom use and abstinence.
“It must be stated categorically that the department has no intention, whatsoever, to compel girls 12-years and above to receive or not to receive contraceptives without their own consent.”
Professor Kobus Maree, from the Department of Education Psychology at the University of Pretoria said that any interventions into teenage pregnancies must be evidence-based.
“We need to focus especially on ensuring that their education continues, that their trajectories to future opportunities remain intact, so therefore, we need psychoeducational, psychosocial and general interventions. We need to target our interventions, and tailor them.
“Including boys (in the discussion) is non-negotiable, as they have to be included. They have to understand the importance of assuming the responsibility for one’s deeds. Hence, all community and school programmes must be aimed at enabling boys or supporting them to make informed decisions, but then also to note that there are consequences to unprotected sex,” Maree said.
Maree explained that when it comes to the actions that Matotoka mentioned, of parents unhappiness with mobile clinics, this likely comes from misinformation.
“We need to engage with the mothers, the fathers and the communities, to highlight the fact that the contraceptives are not geared at encouraging early sexual debut, but what one would really want is to ensure that teens become sexually active, they do so in a safe manner.
“In such instance is where we need campaigns, and we need role-models that the community puts a whole lot of trust into, to speak up, as that has a major impact.”
Health attorney at human rights organisation SECTION27, Khuselwa Dyantyi, explained that parents and teachers have a responsibility to provide support to a pregnant learner during the pregnancy and to help them transition back into school after birth.
“But because of a stigma around learner pregnancy, learners are forced to drop out of school and focus on the pregnancy upbringing of the child. Policy on the Prevention and Management of Learner Pregnancy must be to ensure academic success for a girl child. To ensure that there is enough support, the Department of Education, Health and Social Development must work together for the interest of the learner.”
Dyantyi added that stigma remains one of the factors that leads to learner dropout.
“Through our experiences working with learners in Sexual Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) workshops and advocacy, it has become apparent that the conversations that stigma is broader than the school community.
“We need concerted efforts to educate parents, teachers, community leaders,including faith practice spaces, health facilities, policing services (where sexual violence may occur where consent is in question),” Dyantyi said.
Dyantyi added added that ultimately parents should be open to learning.
“Parents have to pay more attention to their young children to see the signs of changes that may be taking place in their children’s lives.
“Parents have to also allow themselves to be educated regarding these changes that take place in a young child’s life in the hope that this may assist in having the conversation at home with their young ones,” Dyantyi said.
“Most parents struggle with reconciling how they grew up as young teens. Programmes such as the workshops we offer at schools as SECTION27, seek to pave the way to address/have the conversations with parents as well.”
* Additional reporting by Mayibongwe Maqhina