Teenage pregnancies on the rise in Oshikoto
Close to 2 000 school dropouts recorded
The region recorded an increase of 67 teenage pregnancies over the 2022 academic year, compared to the previous year.
The Oshikoto Region has witnessed a rise in teenage pregnancies, with 567 learners falling pregnant during the 2022 academic year, compared to 500 recorded teenage pregnancies during the previous year.
In his recent State of the Region Address (SORA), Oshikoto governor Penda Ya Ndakolo said during the same period, the region also recorded 1 814 school dropouts.
Ya Ndakolo said there is an urgent need for parents and religious institutions to contribute their share to ensure learners remain in school, even when they fall pregnant.
Namibia's education ministry legislation makes provision for pregnant learners to continue their education, he said.
"The education ministry implemented measures to address the challenges of high teenage pregnancies and school dropout rates. These measures include training life skills teachers for grades four to seven, providing psychosocial support, organising regional career fairs, and offering continuous professional development for teaching personnel," he said.
Work together
The governor said it is worrying that teenage pregnancies and school dropout rates remain high in the region.
"As parents, guardians, and the general community, we need to actively participate in ensuring that children complete their education, emphasising that their quality of life largely depends on their level of education."
According to Ya Ndakolo, other challenges facing the education sector in the region include outdated school infrastructure, overcrowded classrooms, unpaved roads, limited access to water and electricity in certain schools, and subpar workmanship by certain contractors.
"I would like to call upon works inspectors as well as officials dealing with procurement to ensure that the issue of poor workmanship and abandoning of construction projects is not condoned in the region. "We cannot afford to waste our already meagre resources on the people who are not serious about service delivery," he said.
In his recent State of the Region Address (SORA), Oshikoto governor Penda Ya Ndakolo said during the same period, the region also recorded 1 814 school dropouts.
Ya Ndakolo said there is an urgent need for parents and religious institutions to contribute their share to ensure learners remain in school, even when they fall pregnant.
Namibia's education ministry legislation makes provision for pregnant learners to continue their education, he said.
"The education ministry implemented measures to address the challenges of high teenage pregnancies and school dropout rates. These measures include training life skills teachers for grades four to seven, providing psychosocial support, organising regional career fairs, and offering continuous professional development for teaching personnel," he said.
Work together
The governor said it is worrying that teenage pregnancies and school dropout rates remain high in the region.
"As parents, guardians, and the general community, we need to actively participate in ensuring that children complete their education, emphasising that their quality of life largely depends on their level of education."
According to Ya Ndakolo, other challenges facing the education sector in the region include outdated school infrastructure, overcrowded classrooms, unpaved roads, limited access to water and electricity in certain schools, and subpar workmanship by certain contractors.
"I would like to call upon works inspectors as well as officials dealing with procurement to ensure that the issue of poor workmanship and abandoning of construction projects is not condoned in the region. "We cannot afford to waste our already meagre resources on the people who are not serious about service delivery," he said.
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