DODOMA: A total of 22,844 girls who dropped out of school due to pregnancies are now back to school, thanks to President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s directives in 2021.
Deputy Minister for Education, Omary Kipanga, told the House on Tuesday that out of these, 5,142 are listed in the formal primary and secondary education system, while the remaining 17,702 are in the informal system.
Mr Kipanga was responding to a question posed by Special Seats lawmaker, Ms Fatma Tawfiq (CCM), who had wanted to know the exact number of girls who have so far returned back to school since the government issued the Government Notice No 2 of 2021, allowing school dropouts due to pregnancy to go back to school after giving birth.
“By considering the importance of education to school girls, the government continues supervising the implementation of the said notice by ensuring that girls who dropped out of school due to pregnancies resume school, so that they can realise their dreams,’’ he said.
In the notice issued in 2021, the government decided that all students dropping out of school for various reasons should get the opportunity to return to school.
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This includes girls who dropped out of school due to pregnancies while in primary or secondary school. The notice noted that the girls would be allowed to continue with their studies through
the formal education system after delivery.”
However, according to Mr Kipanga, as of March 2024, there were a total of 5,142 in the formal system.
According to the Government Notice issued by the Commissioner for Education on behalf of the Ministry, girls are now allowed to return to schools within a window of two years from the time they dropped out of school, after falling pregnant.
It further ordered that school head teachers are required to create a good environment for these girls by ensuring that they get psychological and counselling support to cope with the studying environment.
“In order to ensure all children are continuing to get education as their basic right, through this notice, the government gives an opportunity for students dropping out of school for various reasons to return to the formal education system.
This opportunity is inclusive of girls who have dropped out of school due to pregnancies, who will now be allowed to return to the formal education to complete their education cycle,” the notes read in part.
Yesterday, the deputy minister said that the government had put up a conducive environment in schools, whereas while at school the girls with babies are able to feed their babies in special rooms allocated in all schools that have so far enrolled them.
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