Crisis over school pregnancies, Amina orders probe

Crisis over school pregnancies, Amina orders probe
Samburu County ranks sixth with 26 per cent prevalence rate, with Migori, Kwale and Bomet each registering 24 per cent. Trans Nzoia closes the top 10 category with a prevalence rate of 23 per cent.

Least affected

Further details reveal that Murang’a and Nyeri are least affected, with a six per cent prevalence rate.
Embu, Elgeyo Marakwet and Nyandarua have prevalence rates of seven, eight and nine per cent respectively. What is, however, shocking is the revelation that one in every five schoolgirls gets pregnant by the age of 20. This means your daughter is highly likely to get pregnant before sitting her Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) or Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations. Speaking last week when she oversaw administration of KCPE papers, Amina said some nine candidates gave birth during the examination period. “If this is happening all year round, then the country could be facing a crisis,” said Amina, as she instructed regional coordinators of education and county directors of education to collect data. Parents yesterday expressed outrage over the rising pregnancy cases even as they shared blame and directed anger at the Ministry of Education’s quality assurance office. Kenya National Association of Parents National Chairman Nicholas Miyo accused parents of failing in their responsibilities to talk about sex with children.

He expressed shock at the ministry for finding out about sexual abuse and teenage pregnancy in schools only during examinations, yet the learners had been pregnant for nine months. “Where are the quality assurance teams? Why have they not given the CS a report to inform action?” posed Maiyo. Data displayed on the National Council for Population and Development (NCPD), however, reveals that between July 2016 and June last year, 378,397 pregnant girls aged between 10 and 19 were presented in health facilities in all the 47 counties. The report that puts the national teenage prevalence rate at 18 per cent says some counties are more disproportionately affected than others.

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