Authorities in Central Equatoria State’s Lainya County have raised concern over the increasing pregnancies among school children.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday, the county Paramount Chief, Mathew Ladu, said they had recorded increasing teenage pregnancies at both primary and secondary levels. He said that the trend was affecting the education standards, adding that some cases were pending in courts awaiting determination upon the delivery of the babies.
The chief said the problem was more rampant in the rural areas and lamented that some families were reluctant to report their cases to the authorities.
“Last year, I handled two issues related to teenage pregnancy, which remain unresolved to date because the parents often intervene with the school administration, but we also consider it wise to wait for the delivery of the baby to save the girl’s education,” he said.
Ladu identified one of the causes of the problem as the lack of sensitization of the population, which made many parents not to report their cases to the authorities.
The chief urged the local government to come up with stringent bylaws to reduce the menace.
“I want our state government to come up with bylaws to ensure that the education of the girl child is given a priority, to safeguard the future of our nation,” he said.
A health expert at the Lainya health center, Justin Duku, attributed the increase in the number of teenage pregnancy to the lack of adolescent health education at homes and in schools. He said that most teenagers faced difficulties at the time of their delivery, and were often referred to other hospitals for caesarian operation.
“They come to the maternity when they face complications in delivery and sometimes we have to send them for C-section operations to save them and their babies.”
A local resident, Flora Kiden, encouraged the parents and the government to invest in the girls’ education, warning that teenage pregnancies were a big risk.
“Girls aged of 15 or 16 years are supposed to be in school so that they are prepared for the future roles. Seeing them married off at that age is a loss to both the family, the girl and the country,” she said.
According to international human rights law, primary education shall be compulsory and free of charge. Secondary and higher education shall be made progressively free of charge.
In South Sudan, the country’s constitution contains a bill of rights that includes: “All levels of government shall promote education at all levels and shall ensure free and compulsory education at the primary level; they shall also provide free illiteracy eradication programs.”
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