John Magufuli, the President of Tanzania was last week on Thursday reported saying that “It is immoral for young girls to be sexually active.” Therefore, this statement was followed by the President of Tanzania banning pregnant students from attending school any more.
“In my administration, as long as I am president … no pregnant student will be allowed to return back to school. We cannot allow this immoral behavior to permeate our primary and secondary schools … never,” said President Magufuli, last week, following the ban.
“The non-governmental organizations campaigning for pregnant girls to be allowed back in school after giving birth, should rather open private schools and enroll those pregnant mothers, but not government schools,” he emphasized.
Magufuli in addition to the condition, ordered the arrest and prosecution of men who get school going girls pregnant, by the police. He explained that the convicted offenders could get up to 30 years in jail under the country’s sexual offences legislation.
The Tanzanian President further expressed how it would be if students after giving birth go back to school, and what would happen later on if this issue is not handled immediately.
“After calculating some few mathematics, she’d be asking the teacher in the classroom ‘let me go out and breastfeed my crying baby’… After getting pregnant, you are done!” the president was quoted saying.
“If we were to allow the girls back to school, one day we would find all the girls in Standard One going home to nurse their babies,” Magufuli, the President of Tanzania, emotionally explained.
However, women are not happy with the ban. Recently a pan African women’s organization set up and is mobilizing an online petition to get the president apologize and reverse his comments.
“With all the work we have done to emancipate Africa’s girl-child from the shackles of discrimination and violation, a sitting president comes around to ‘re-victimize’ and treat their situation like a terrible infectious disease which other girls must be protected from!” said Dinah Musindarwezo, the organization’s head.
In a joint statement, 29 groups of women stated that any move to deny the girls an opportunity to go back to school after giving birth would only punish them (the women), their children and the nation
“Our motivation is the girls themselves, their quality of life and the opportunities they have to progress. Women and girls make up to 51% of the population, so, the question is, “what happens to the women and their girl children?” the statement read partly.
“Educating young girls brings economic and social benefits to the whole country,” said the groups.
Some teachers have also come up to add their voices to the rest of the women saying that girls deserve a second chance, if the country is to prosper.
“If young mothers are not educated, they are not likely to fully engage in income generating activities,” said Adelvina Magayane, a teacher at Ununio primary school in Tanzania.
This ban however, dates back to 1961 when Tanzania had just got her independence from the British.
Therefore, according to the Centre of Reproductive Rights’ (CRR) report in 2013, more than 55,000 girls have been expelled from school after getting pregnant.
And according to a report by the Human Rights, at least 8,000 Tanzanian girls drop out of school every year due to pregnancy.
Correspondent: Shamilah Namuddu
