The state minister for Higher Education, Dr John Muyingo, has said the ministry will not deviate from its policy on the reentry of teenage and expectant girls in schools amidst ongoing debates.
Muyingo termed pregnancies as accidents that have led young girls into child mothers, insisting that they must be protected and reintegrated back into schools.
"We are saying that after somebody has produced, they should be enabled to go back into the education system. This is the message that we shall continue to send out to the public," Muyingo said.
"I have heard some voices that are uncomfortable with this position of the government but I think they are not happy because they are speaking out of ignorance. These girls are Ugandans and this is the most important resource for this nation that must be valued at all costs."
For parents and guardians who are opposed to the policy, he said, the various laws will force them into educating their girls once again. Muyingo was speaking at the second "Safe to Learn" symposium held recently at Speak Resort in Munyonyo under the theme; "Reflecting on the gains and accelerating action towards a safe learning environment."
With the disruption of learning due to the Covid-19 two-year lockdown, more adolescent girls below the age of 18 years got pregnant. Statistics from the ministry of Health indicated that from March 2020 to September 2021, more than 365,000 adolescents aged 10 to 19 years attended antenatal care at various health facilities across the country.
While reacting to the figures in her written speech read by Muyingo, the first lady and minister of Education and Sports, Janet Museveni, said there's need to ensure that the perpetrators of these vices are brought to book and the victims of teenage pregnancy given a second chance to study.
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"As a mother of the nation, I feel that this is alarming and puts our country in a dilemma. I also believe that if we are not able to save our young generation from falling prey to such vices, our beloved country will not be able to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals as well as Vision 2040. This calls for concerted efforts from all of us to address the root cause of the current challenge of teenage pregnancy in our country," Museveni was quoted as saying.
In 2015, the ministry developed guidelines preventing and managing HIV/Aids and unintended pregnancy in school settings. They were revised in 2020 to include the re-entry aspect. The commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education at the ministry, Ismael Mulindwa, told The Observer recently that the policy covers only learners three months pregnant and below.
