Cape Town - Young people need to be exposed to more health and sex education, in order to avoid teenage pregnancy and disease.
This was the sentiment by some concerned parents and DA spokesperson for social development in Gauteng Refiloe Nt’sekhe, in reaction to reports that 23 226 teenagers were reported to be pregnant, between April 2020 and March 2021.
The revelation was made by Gauteng MEC for Health Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi in the legislature.
Concerned parents Dikeledi Nkosi and Nosiviwe Banda said these days young people were exposed to sexual information early in their lives.
“At this stage, we would be lying if we said our children engage in sex not knowing what could happen. I think I speak for a lot of parents when I say sometimes teenagers fall pregnant, even when they were warned about pregnancy by families and teachers.
“I think we have to look deeper into this issue and ask ourselves if we stopped teaching along the way or they stopped listening, or do they have moments when they think maybe they won’t fall pregnant,” Nkosi said.
According to Banda: “It would not be crazy to wonder if they were misled, taken advantage of, or were afraid to talk to us early, when they thought they made mistakes. We simply cannot simplify this issue. “We have to really do some work to find out where the disconnect is – between the teenagers who find themselves in these situations and us, the senior citizens, who are supposed to guide them. Sometimes I wonder if our children are afraid to speak to us,” she said.
Nt’sekhe said it was obvious that there was a great need for the Gauteng Department of Education, Department of Social Development and Department of Health to strengthen their teenage pregnancy and sex education campaigns to make teenagers conscientious.
“Teenage pregnancy impacts negatively on educational opportunities for young girls, especially those without the proper support and help, and are less likely to finish high school and pursue a career to support their families.
“According to MEC Mokgethi, 934 babies were delivered by girls, between the ages of 10 to 14, and 19 316 by mothers between the ages of 15 to 19. A staggering 2 976 children, aged between 10 and 19, did a choice on termination of pregnancy. “In total, there were 23 226 teenage pregnancies in Gauteng, from April 2020 to March 2021.
“These numbers are sad and incredibly troubling, considering that these are young girls, who still have bright futures ahead of them. “Teenage pregnancy remains a serious social and health problem in South Africa. It poses a health risk, to both mother and child, and it also has social consequences – such as continuing the cycle of poverty and early school drop-out,” said Nt’sekhe.
Zitha Hansungule, of the Centre for Child Law, said: “It is very important to ensure that the pregnant pupils are being given the necessary support by schools and communities in order to facilitate their return to education, and have a chance at completing school and accessing higher education.”
Hansungule said that the provincial departments of education need to account to the national department, for what they were doing to ensure that pregnant pupils, and those who have given birth, returned to school, and what support was being provided to them.
“In addition, we urgently call on the Department of Basic Education to finalise the National Learner Pregnancy Policy, which was gazetted for public comment in 2018. We are disappointed that it has taken so long for a policy as important as this one to be finalised and put into implementation.
“Repeated calls have been made to the department to finalise the policy. We continuously receive complaints of schools excluding pregnant pupils, contrary to a Constitutional Court judgment,” said Hasungule.
Cape Times