Bridging the awareness gap for teen mothers in Kagera

It’s a story of opportunity, ignorance, and the urgent need for a comprehensive awareness campaign, given the announcement in November 2021 by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology was a beacon of hope for countless young girls.

The re-entry guidelines, are aptly designed to ensure that no child is left behind in their pursuit of education. However, a disheartening disconnect exists between the government’s intentions and the community’s knowledge of these guidelines.

A five-day survey conducted in Muleba district, Kagera region revealed a startling truth: many families, including those with daughters who left school due to pregnancy, remain oblivious to the re-entry guidelines.

In this district, eight out of every ten individuals interviewed, a staggering 80 percent, had no idea what the re-entry process entailed, including some local leaders.

In Kashasha Ward, for example, among the ten households interviewed, only two individuals from two households had a faint idea.

“I am aware of the issue because it happened that when it was announced, I was watching television somewhere, but I can’t tell what the procedures require. I expected that immediately after the announcement, there could be a thorough campaign on the same,” said Anna Jovin, a concerned parent.

A resident of Magata/Karutanga Ward, Ms Pendo Yusuf expressed her apprehensions saying: “My daughter, a teen mother, has no idea about this, maybe if experts were to speak, my daughter would understand; even I can’t.”

Luciana*, a 20-year-old teen mother and Pendo’s daughter, echoed her mother’s concerns saying: “I heard that the president has allowed us to go back to school, but I don’t have detailed information because I left school two years ago.”

Feeling lost, no clear path

The lack of information and guidance leaves young girls like Luciana feeling lost and without a clear path back to education, particularly while they also grapple with the challenges of caring for their young children at home.

Luciana reflects, “I don’t know how to leave my son. Do I go with him, or does he stay at home? And if he stays at home, who looks after him? But what school do I go back to? I really don’t understand anything concerning this.”

According to the Education Circular No. 2, head teachers are required to ensure that returning students receive guidance and counseling services to strengthen them psychologically, as well as in their academic progress.

The guidelines also call upon education leaders at all levels to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the circular. Moreover, they direct parents or guardians to commit in writing that they will provide appropriate support and services for their child and their newborn, while the student continues with her studies.

However, the reality in Muleba district is far from the expectations. At Rutabo Secondary School, situated in Kamachumu Ward, a teacher, requesting anonymity, revealed that even some teachers in schools were not fully familiar with such directives, hampering their ability to assist victims of teenage pregnancies to return to school.

“Not every teacher is aware of such guidelines, even though most of us know that the President had allowed re-entry of the dropouts. I personally don’t know how I’m supposed to handle a student who has given birth. This needs to be made clear to us first,” he emphasised.

Ms Pendo, questioned the lack of information dissemination saying: “I think they are waiting for someone to go to the school to ask for re-entry procedures because I have never seen the school leadership bring any information about this to us, the community. We even attended a graduation ceremony at Kishoju Secondary School yesterday, but we were not told anything.”

Education experts, including Helina Aron, the Education Officer of Magata/Karutanga Ward, acknowledges that awareness is the linchpin for the successful implementation of re-entry guidelines. She stated: “The guidelines are out, even though I haven’t gone through them properly yet. The truth is that our society needs a substantial awareness campaign that would require cost and commitment.”

Ward executive of Magata/Karutanga, Ms Joyce Rassia, emphasised the need for a significant awareness campaign, stating: “Parents don’t like the thought of their children to go back to school because they see it as an opportunity for them to contribute to family feeding.”

Will be known gradually

Acknowledging the information gap, Kagera Regional Education Officer (REO), Mr Khalifa Shemahonge commented: “This issue is new, it has not been present for a long time, so we are not surprised that the community has not known it yet because it is an issue that the community will know gradually. It is normal for the community to have no understanding of something.”

Keeping in mind that this policy was passed in 2021, it is then rather shoking that unawareness in 2023 is still considered a new problem.

Even at the regional level, the lack of awareness is a significant issue. “The education leaders in our region seem to be reluctant in mobilising the community about the re-entry opportunity. Some are very skeptical of the decision, so they just leave the community or victims to decide,” explained Ms Jula Mrosso, a senior teacher at one of the high schools in Kagera.

“Some educational leaders, head teachers, and other political leaders don’t want to be seen as mobilising this issue, thinking they may be inciting more problems,” she said.

She added: “The government must come up with a better way to ensure that the opportunity is known to every member of the community and the victims so that the latter can decide for themselves whether to return to school or not,” she stressed.

Kagera Regional Commissioner, Ms Fatma Mwassa expressed her concerns about the high rate of school dropouts in the region, reporting that last year, over 16,000 primary school pupils and 6,700 secondary school students dropped out, yet the pace at which the group was returning to school was too minimal.

Need for thorough campaign

In light of these challenges, it is imperative that the government initiate a comprehensive awareness campaign to bridge the information gap. The campaign should target not only parents but the community as a whole.

Experts say schools should play a central role in disseminating information and providing support for students returning to their studies.

They suggest that education leaders like Mr Shemahonge actively engage with communities to explain the guidelines, answer questions, and address concerns.

“Special attention must be paid to localities where the re-entry guidelines have not received sufficient emphasis,” states Dr Zabron Chacha, a researcher and education consultant.

Additionally, he says efforts should be made to promote alternative pathways for education, such as technical colleges and vocational schools, in areas like Muleba district where the options are less known.

“However, the success of this initiative hinges on raising awareness and educating communities about the re-entry guidelines. It is not fully their responsibility alone to ensure that their daughters complete their education, but education leaders in collaboration with local government authorities have a bigger role to play,” he reminds.

An expert from the College of Business Education (CBE), Dr Rehema Casmery notes: “Awareness is the key to unlocking the potential of these girls and empowering them to build a brighter future by joining the 7,995 teen mothers who have returned to school countrywide.”

Lessons from elsewhere

Once the pregnancy case is confirmed in Zanzibar, the school head is supposed to report it to the Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training.

The Principal Secretary will prompt the Registrar of Education to take the necessary action. Under normal circumstances, the Registrar of Education will convene a meeting with the head of the school where the pregnancy case was reported from.

“Generally such meetings are attended by various people including the school head, the pregnant girl, her parents or guardians, students’ body chairperson, councilor and the Sheha of the Shehia from which school is located,” it states.

The main agenda of such a meeting is to find out how the teenage girl became pregnant and secondly to establish if the girl is committed to continue attending school after delivery.

“What Zanzibar is doing is exactly what is missing most in the mainland. We need to engage every stakeholder in making the re-entry a success,” says Dr Casmery.