Windhoek — Over 500 girls in the Kavango Region have dropped out of school over the past two years because they were pregnant.

According to the Kavango regional education directorate, 518 girls dropped out of school in 2005 while in 2006, the number increased to 568.

Regional Education Planner Liliya Shaningwa, who compiled the statistics, said the increase in school dropouts was worrisome and needed urgent intervention.

"The findings revealed that the educational challenges faced by young mothers range from social exclusion to the need to manage the dual responsibilities of motherhood and academic studies," Shaningwa said last week at the opening of a two-day workshop on teenage mothers at Rundu.

She said over 900 teenage mothers in the region were readmitted to school during the 2007 school year.

About 100 teenage mothers are attending the two-day workshop.