Mpumalanga Department of Education says 8 840 learners give birth in one year, not 90 000
The Department of Education said the rate of learner pregnancy in South Africa is alarming and has become a major challenge in schools as it affects the lives of thousands of young people, often limiting their personal growth, their pursuit of rewarding careers and their profession and future ambitions.
The Mpumalanga Department of Education says the reports that there are 90 000 pregnant learners in the province are false and misleading.
To date, the reports at the department’s disposal indicate there are about 8 543 15- to 19-year-old and 297 10- to 14-year-old girls who gave birth at health facilities between April 2021 and March 2022.
The department convened a learner pregnancy prevention and management policy workshop at the Capital Hotel in the City of Mbombela on September 26.
On September 30, the department released a statement in which it said it has noted media reports regarding the statistics recorded of pregnancies involving girls schoolgoing of age. The purpose of the workshop was to engage and lobby key education stakeholders to support the department in addressing factors that are contributing to the high rate of teenage pregnancy in the province.
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The spokesperson for education in the province, Jasper Zwane, said, “The 90 000 figure represents the national statistics that were sourced from the Department of Health and subsequently tabled before the Portfolio Committee on Education by the Ministry of Basic Education.”
Zwane said the department remains concerned, even if only one learner gets pregnant.
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“It is for this reason that the department continues to sensitise communities about the negative effects of learner pregnancy. A workshop was conducted last week to intensify the strategy to mitigate against this. Parts of the strategies of the comprehensive sexuality education that are being implemented by the department include, but they are not limited to, ensuring that learners gain the knowledge and skills to make conscious, healthy and respectful choices about relationships and sexuality. Providing an age-appropriate, culturally relevant and right-based approach to sexuality and relationships, addresses the issues of gender and power, and provides scientifically accurate and practical information in a non-judgemental way.”
