Dr Mahiga wants an end to school girls’ pregnancies

Iringa. The Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Dr Augustine Mahiga has advised Tanzanians to fight school girls’ pregnancies to enable and enable them girls to realize their education goals.

Speaking on Saturday, March 3, at Kidamali Secondary School in Iringa District Dr Mahiga said more efforts is required to fight the vice.

"The government’s position is that impregnated girls must not be allowed to continue with their education and that is why I call upon stakeholders to act,” he said during an event where a South Korean organization, World Share, visited the school to inspect the construction of girls’ dormitory.

He said the government was aware that since the introduction of free education, enrolment rates have gone up, resulting into new challenges for the education sector.

“With increased enrolments, the number of dormitories does not match with the number of girls. As such, some girl students walk long distances to and from school, subjecting them to threats of early pregnancies,” he said.

The new dormitory – which was funded by the South Korean organization - will accommodate over 200 girls at any given time.

The World Share country director, Mr Kim Yunsung said his organization was committed to ensuring girls were exposed to a healthy learning environment.