By Daisy Kosgey Mugiira
The rate of teenage girls giving birth during the KCPE exams period is alarming. This is not unique to 2018 but it is repeated every year. The big question is on whether there exists a relationship between examinations period and teenage girls giving birth which is not yet established. The issue and the hype created every year about girls giving birth during exams period is only that there is high publicity and heavy media presence around the time.
Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed, Yesterday decried the high number of teenage pregnancies reported during this year’s KCPE examinations. The CS noted that they had received reports of nine girls who had given birth during the exam period.
The CS immediately ordered officials in the Education Ministry to investigate and file a report of all cases of pregnancies among school girls.
The CS concerns and directives are welcome. However, there is enough data and statistics that explain the status of teenage pregnancies In Kenya today. According to the United Nations Population Fund the rates of teenage pregnancies are high at 18% which translates to 1 in every 5 girls being expectant or being a teenage mother. Also, the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, 2014 puts the rate at 18% which statistically ratifies the UNFPA one.
The above Studies further estimate that in Kenya, around 13,000 girls drop out of school every year due to teenage pregnancy related problems. This translates to around 277 girls per County. 45 girls per constituency and 9 girls per ward.
These and other studies have influenced some policies like the Adolescent Reproductive Health and Development Policy (2003) and The National Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Policy (2015) which have been formulated to address the issues facing the adolescents and the youth. There is also the Sexual Offences Act (2006) which can be used to prosecute those who defile the underage girls. Despite all these policies, very little has been achieved.
Unless the ministry wants to conduct independent fact finding missions or to verify what has already been established, there is no much need for further research or any new policy except an implementation policy. What is lacking is proper action plan, allocation of resources and proper implementation of the policies in place. To start with, the ministry of education can combine efforts with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Youth and Gender Affairs and the Ministry of Interior and coordination of National Government to implement the existing policies and then with continuous monitoring, further mitigation measures can be identified.
Daisy Kosgey
Founder, Dear Little Sister Foundation
Comments are closed.