admin
Thandeka Moyo Features Reporter
ABOUT 192km from the city of Bulawayo in rural Gwanda lies Mapate, an area surrounded by many primary and secondary schools.
Judging from the numerous schools in the area, one will be forgiven for concluding that every child is attending school.
However, this is not so. Many pupils have dropped out of school.
Rains are erratic and unemployment levels are high. Many school dropouts have no meaningful occupation and as such have turned to sex as a pastime. Some girls are indulging in sex for food.
Youths who are lucky to be attending school have fallen victim to the illicit sex scourge.
They use the bush as a meeting hub where they endure the thorn-infested rocky ground to indulge in sex with their partners soon after school.
Drought-induced hunger and unemployment have pushed girls as young as 12 into pre-marital sex.
The girls are too young to understand the hazards of unprotected sex. Pre-marital sex among juveniles often leads to unwanted pregnancies fuelling the rate of Zimbabwe’s maternal mortality rate.
“I went to school up to Grade Seven and failed to proceed to secondary level. My parents couldn’t afford to pay fees or put food on the table. I used to go to school hungry all the time and sometimes I was sent back for not paying fees.
“I then met Thabani, the father of my unborn baby. He was kind to me and would buy me food. I’ll be delivering in a few weeks’ time,” says 14-year-old Thando, (not her real name) the youngest of more than 20 expectant teenagers at Manama Mission Hospital, located near Mapate.
According to the 2013 Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education annual statistical report, about 110 primary school pupils dropped out of school after falling pregnant. A further 71 stopped going to school after getting married.
The same report says a total of 2,272 pupils dropped out of school either because of marriage or pregnancy in 2003.
Interestingly, the teenagers are failing to see that they are partly to blame for their plight.
“It’s a pity my parents failed to ensure I stayed at school and provide food for me. My boyfriend is willing to take responsibility but it’s of no use since he is uneducated and unemployed,” said Thando.
Next to Thando is 18-year old pregnant Lebo. (not her real name). She gently clears her throat before blaming the collapse of the government-run Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM) for her pregnancy.
“I’m an orphan and only went as far as Grade Seven due to BEAM’s inconsistency. I waited patiently for some years hoping someone would chip in and help my grandmother pay my fees till I fell into this trap,” she says pointing at her bulging tummy. Most of her friends have either dropped out of school, pregnant or married.
Lebo views dropping out of school as a curse.
“I can’t brag about having a boyfriend because like me, he dropped out of school in Grade Seven. He is just seated at home, struggling to make ends meet. I doubt if we’ll be able to feed the child let alone send her or him to school,” she said.
Girls who managed to complete Grade Seven before they fell pregnant believe staying in school would save no purpose.
They argue continuing with studies would only be delaying the inevitable.
“Unlike some of my peers who consented to sex with their lovers, I was forced into it. The result was this pregnancy which haunts me day and night. My boyfriend lured me into sex and I regret the day I sneaked out of my mother’s homestead into the bush where I had sex with my boyfriend.
“I couldn’t confide in my mother and also reporting the father of my child won’t change the fact that soon I’ll be having a burden in my life.
“My mother failed to take me through secondary school and it’ll be a miracle for me to find means to support this baby. At times we go without meals and I know the situation will worsen with the birth of my child,” says Julie, 15, (not her real name) while struggling to hold back tears.
Teenage pregnancy has become a major concern for the government.
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education reported that an estimated 13,000 schoolgirls dropped out in 2013 due to pregnancy.
Teenage pregnancies account for about a quarter of maternal deaths in Zimbabwe, says Dr Nkazimulo Tshuma, the former acting Lupane district medical officer.
Lebo’s narration makes it apparent that the expecting teenage mothers did not go for a scan. Preparations for their babies are being done blindly as the sex of the child remains unknown until birth.
Mthulisi Moyo, a villager from Bethani area which borders Manama, says the problem of teenage pregnancies emanates from the government’s failure to keep girls in school up to secondary school.
He said the girls were dropping out of school at a tender age due to financial constraints.
Lebang Nare, 45, a parent in Mapate says there is need for communities to address the alarming rate of school dropouts.
“We may blame the government but I believe as parents we need to sit down with our children and face reality.
“Some of our children fall pregnant while attending school. We’ve to stop being in denial and admit these children need sexual advice and knowledge on reproductive health,” she says.
Zimbabwe has the highest rate of maternal deaths in the region, followed by Lesotho and Mozambique. The Ministry of Health and Child Care is battling to reduce by at least 50 percent the 614 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.
In its 2015 Descriptive Child and Youth Equity Atlas, the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) reported that almost every child in Zimbabwe finishes primary school.
However, the agency says the government, which boasts of primary school attendance for all children, is failing to keep girls in school after primary level.
“It’s a great achievement for the government whose efforts resulted in the country meeting MDG 3. However, only 52 percent of these children manage to complete secondary school as many drop out due to financial constraints and social problems,” says Unicef.
MDG 3 called for the elimination of gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education no later than 2015.
Matabeleland North provincial education director, Boitathelo Mnguni conceded that starvation was one of the reasons why many girls were dropping out of school.
“The number one cause is starvation and as long as that’s not addressed, we will continue to see girls dropping out of school,” says Mnguni.
In Matabeleland South, 2,825 pupils from both primary and secondary schools have dropped out of school this term due to the effects of drought according to the recently released Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee.
A total of 1,253 pupils from primary schools in the province dropped out of school this term while 1,572 also dropped out from secondary schools. Matobo recorded 654 drop outs, Beitbridge 634, Mangwe 582, Insiza 509, Gwanda 297, the report said.
“Education reduces the likelihood of child marriage and delays childbearing, leading to healthier life.
“Keeping girls in school will reduce their chances of falling pregnant thereby empowering them to be responsible citizens. Education is the only key to emancipating the girl child,” says Mnguni.
A retired headmaster from Mapate, Sethi Ndlovu, says hunger was the main reason why girls found themselves trapped in pregnancy and marriage.
“Most of these girls become a burden later in life as they can’t afford proper health services. They can’t even afford to have one meal a day and that already means they’re incapable of feeding another human,” he says.
A nurse stationed at Manama who gave her name only as Siziba says girls under the age of 18 are slowly becoming the majority of expectant mothers at the hospital.
“They share the same background of dropping out of school and falling pregnant. Some genuinely regret and say they want to go back to school after giving birth. These are hopeless dreams as their parents and guardians can’t even afford to provide decent meals,” she says.
Siziba wants the Ministry of Education to take responsibility and tackle the issue of teenage pregnancy and curb the challenge of girls dropping out of school.
She said the issue could become a burden for the Ministries of Health and Public Service and Labour soon, if not urgently addressed.
“I believe these problems emanate from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education as children who are going to school are less likely to fall pregnant.”
A report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) says when a girl falls pregnant, her future is ruined.
“Her education may end, her job prospects evaporate, and her vulnerabilities to poverty, exclusion and dependency multiply. Adolescent pregnancy is intertwined with issues of human rights because a pregnant girl who is pressured or forced to leave school, for example, is denied her right to education,” says UNFPA.
The same report says in every region of the world, impoverished and poorly educated rural girls are more likely to become pregnant than their wealthier, urban, educated counterparts. The risk of maternal death for mothers under the age of 15 in low and middle-income countries is double that of older females.
This younger group faces significantly higher rates of obstetrical fistulae than their older peers.
Health problems are more likely if a girl becomes pregnant too soon after reaching puberty.
UNFPA defines obstetrical fistulae as a serious and tragic childbirth injury where a woman develops a hole between the birth canal and bladder or rectum caused by prolonged, obstructed labour without treatment.
It leaves women leaking urine, faeces or both, and often leads to chronic medical problems, depression, social isolation and deepening poverty.
Adolescents who become pregnant tend to be from lower-income households and are usually nutritionally depleted.
Online Reporter