Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Leaders are most responsible for runing the future of young girls in Tanzania

Research finds leaders responsible for schoolgirl pregnancies
By Lucas Lukumbo
27th September 2010EmailPrintComments
TAMWA Executive Secretary, Ananilea NkyaA research on school pregnancies the country has revealed that leaders, both political and government are to blame for schoolgirl pregnancies and the deteriorating learning environment in schools. The research conducted by The Tanzania Media Women Association (TAMWA) involving 3O journalists from 25 media houses in the country found out that in five-year period (2004- 2010) very few leaders visited ward schools in the country and those who did so were politically motivated- donating items or money without helping people solve their social problems like schoolgirl pregnancies.

TAMWA’s report was unveiled yesterday by its Executive Secretary, Ananilea Nkya and our Staff Writer was at the function and filed this story…

The research was prompted by the fact that schoolgirls’ pregnancies is among main educational problems for girls in the country.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, in the five-year period between 2004 and 2008 a total of 28,590 school girls in the country left school because of pregnancy. Out of those 11,599 were secondary school girls and 16,991 primary school girls.

The report shows that in secondary schools the problem of school pregnancies increased from 772 in 2004 to 4,965 incidents in 2008.

“This is a tragedy affecting the education sector in the country today,” the TAMWA Executive Director said.

Working hand-in-glove with 30 journalists from 25 media institutions in the country TAMWA conducted a journalistic research on the problem with the aim of collecting information and views by various stakeholders including Members of Parliament, councilors, teachers, students and the society at large on ways to find solutions for the national problem.

The reporters interviewed various personalities comprising, among others, Members of Parliament, ward councilors, district Commissioners, district executives, ward and village executives. Others are students, pregnant school girls, parents and guardians and others who were able to explain about the issue.

Others interviewed included the court, (Regional and District Resident Magistrates), headmasters or headmistresses. The regions covered by the research were

Ruvuma, Lindi, Mbeya, Zanzibar South, Pemba North, Tabora, Mwanza, Mara, Dodoma, Tanga, Kigoma, Kilimanjaro, Dar es Salaam, Manyara, Iringa and Shinyanga, Morogoro.

In many areas reports show that despite the fact that the pregnancy problem is everywhere, there is a big disparity between urban and rural schoolgirls. Both urban and rural schoolgirls get pregnant, but those pregnancies in the urban settings are aborted before people realize them. Many rural schools are very far from health facilities which could be used for abortion.

According to people interviewed, illegal abortion is one of the most serious criminal offences committed by medical practitioners and schoolgirls more frequently especially in urban areas. Because schoolgirls know for sure that their pregnancies would be removed, they are not afraid of involving themselves with sex.

Factors that contribute to schoolgirl pregnancies, which the research has found out include, not having food rations at school, lack of dormitories for school girls which means that students are forced to live in unsecured places- an opportunity for pregnancies.

Walking long distances from home to schools is another problem. There are places where students walk as far as 20 kilometres to school, TAMWA report says.

There is also a problem of schoolboys and schoolgirls renting rooms together in remote locations which give them complete freedom to behave as they like.

Traditions and customs of some of the tribes in the country do not allow parents to discuss maternal health with their daughters and that many parents are in the low income bracket and therefore unable to satisfy the school needs of their daughters.

This contributes greatly to schoolgirls plunging themselves into sex in order to bail themselves out from financial crisis.

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) practice and girl initiation in some tribes in the country also contributes to immoral practices. After such a ritual is done, a girl is told that she is now mature and can now try sex and even be married, the report says.

Lack of enough teachers is also a problem. When teachers are not there in school, they create room for idling school girls to discuss petty issues including sexual affairs, according to research findings.

Parents are also not abreast to educational trends. This makes some parents find potential husbands for their daughters while still in schools for quest of dowry which is often cattle.

Recreational halls and busy centres being near schools is a problem. Students could be easily be attracted to such places and indulge themselves in sex.

Some parents staying in their farms far away from their homes leaving their children to care for themselves is also a problem.

Many students interviewed accused some teachers of luring them to sex.

While many teachers and parents are too secretive in matters concerning sex, many girls are absorbed by peer pressure.

This research, according to TAMWA has helped society to recognize that despite government’ positive motive to start schools in all wards countrywide, it did not make adequate preparations. Big discrepancies in all basic requirements have far reaching negative implications in education for children.

While inaugurating the report, the TAMWA Executive Director, Ananilea Nkya said that leaders from the councilors to the national level were all to blame for the situation, saying that many of the problems were within the means of the leaders.

She said some of the leaders even went to the extent of making love with secondary school leaders.

“We have received some information that in some parts of the country some parliamentary aspirants are said to have impregnated school children. I call upon people not to vote for such people,” she said.

The report suggested that school pregnancy should be one of the main agendas for politicians especially now as the nation goes for general elections. Contestants should have election manifestos which advocate for the rights of the girl child and her right to education.

One of the things which have been underlined in this research is the importance of helping pregnant schoolgirls so that they could continue with studies after delivering.

However there is a proposal that children who became pregnant must be back to school. The research has also shown that girls who once got pregnant and later allowed to enter school again in a different school reformed and passed well their examinations.

The TAMWA official said that the overall strategy for the government must be to let education in Tanzania be free to all.

“This is possible and would eliminate many of the prevailing problems in schools especially for the schoolgirls,” she said.

By all means this research is an important working tool for politicians, activists and all stakeholders in the education sector. If used judiciously, this research would help the nation in its process of raising the standard of education in Tanzania.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
http://www.ippmedia.com/frontend/index.php?l=21452

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