07 Jul 2015

The deputy school head of Letlhakane Senior Secondary School (LSS), Mr Pius Molapise has revealed that more 20 students drop out of school due to teenage pregnancy each year.

Mr Molapise said the number was high and that their analysis had revealed that it was due to a large number of males plying their trade in the four mines around Boteti.

“We have a lot of mines around us and it is common knowledge that mines are male dominated, as such we have a strong reason to believe that the high male demographic in the mine is a big factor in the pregnancy rate at LSS,” he said.

For the last four years, he said about 20-23 school going girls had dropped out of school to embark on the more challenging life of motherhood. He said it was not an easy task to swap books for parenthood, saying that every school term they lose between six to 13 students to pregnancy.

“Just this term or let me say since the beginning of the year 13 female students have dropped out as they were now expectant mothers,” he said. Mr Molapise called on the community and parents to intervene to help mitigate the long term effects of teenage motherhood.

The cases, he said were a concern as they did not have a single case of any of the students impregnated by their age mate or a fellow student. “It is the men out there and they can help us address this problem,” he said.

He added that one female student who had just been re-admitted had dropped out again due to pregnancy. The school management, he said had met to devise ways and means of addressing the problem and came up with what they termed ‘teenage motherhood sessions’ where only female students could attend.

“At these sessions, challenges and pressures of teenage mothers are discussed and we try to understand why female students decide to indulge in sex, let alone unprotected sex at an early age,” he said. That, he said was done in collaboration guidance and counseling department.

“While most of our girls have been re-admitted, pregnancy is a concern especially if it is a recurring problem. I think the environment and money that is used to entice the impressionable students is a big factor and we will need help from all stakeholders to deal with this one”.

He also said there was a lot of work to be done to dissuade teenagers from rushing into instant gratification as well as the lure of money and materials objects.

He noted that the sessions would continue for as long as the problem remains unabated. Ends