Kilifi County has developed the first high school for teenage mothers seeking to return to school after giving birth. The national government’s 100% transition policy requires schools to readmit all girls who become pregnant and drop out of school to give birth. However, shame, stigma and an unfriendly and unsupportive learning environment result in school dropout for most of the teenage parents.
To help girls continue with their studies after giving birth, education stakeholders in Ganze resolved to convert Kafuloni Secondary School into a model high school for teen mothers. The construction is funded by the Ganze National Government Constituency Development Fund.
New life as mothers and students
Ganze MP Teddy Mwambire said the school will help address the barriers preventing young mothers from resuming their studies. The school will offer frequent counselling sessions to girls so they can cope with their new life as mothers and students. There will also be a breastfeeding centre for nursing young mothers.
“Girls who decide to go back to school after giving birth are always stigmatised in the mainstream secondary schools and that’s why we want to build a secondary school where admissions will only be given to those who got pregnant while in school and are willing to continue with their education,” said MP Mwambire.
“Already we have girls who have registered for enrollment at the school. Learning will commence once we officially put everything in place because we do not want to have anything that will disrupt the classes. There is a need for the information on the education policy to be disseminated to everyone including the girls themselves,” he added.
