Western Cape Premier Helen Zille has awarded bursaries to teenage girls who had not fallen pregnant while at school but NGOs have slammed the initiative, a report has said.
According to the Cape Times, 14 girls enrolled in tertiary institutions received the bursaries worth R10 000 each as part of the Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Project.
The youngsters were reportedly chosen during 2010 using criteria established by the Human Rights Support Directorate in Zille’s office.
The Cape Times reported that when handing over the bursaries, Zille had said the girls were role models for their exemplary behaviour and good academic performance.
“The best thing government could do for these learners is give them opportunities. Government is always looking after people who are in conflict with the law. Here, we have girls who are doing what is right and deserve a chance in life,” Zille was quoted as saying.
She said the message her office was sending to the girls was that they should not fall pregnant before they had received an education. “This is crucial for your own life as well as your child’s. There is also a chance of you trapping yourself and your child in poverty.
“If girls are empowered with an education, they won’t have to depend on abusive men, they could make sensible choices and raise children properly and give them a serious chance in life,” said Zille.
But Molo Songololo director Patric Solomons said he was concerned about the awards because the responsibility was placed on teenage girls when the issues in their communities and homes were much larger, the Cape Times reported.
“They are confronted with a whole lot of social pressures. This can further marginalise girls and put extra pressure on them,” he said.
He said Zille should launch a programme targeting older men who exploited teenage girls for sex.
Childline’s Wynberg area manager, Cheryl Morilly, said Zille’s award didn’t address why teenage girls became pregnant.
“What we found in schools was that (among pupils) there seemed to be a lack of respect for each other, even for teachers. These are the things that need to be addressed, along with sexual harassment of girls (at school),” Morilly told the Cape Times. - IOL