As a progressive people, at Revision Africa, we firmly believe in education as an inaliable right. Even if a girl falls pregnant she should be allowed to continue with her education.
At the moment the Education Amendment Bill at the Second Reading stage in Zimbabwe’s National Assembly (Parliament). One of the amendments is that it bans the expulsion of pregnant school girls from school for falling pregnant.
This is a relic practice from our conservative days. You would think everyone would agree but you would be wrong. Pelandaba-Mpopoma legislator, Mr Charles Moyo vehemently disagreed with his colleagues and went on a rant.
I have a problem with the second part, that is on the basis of pregnancy. Why Madam Speaker? Our schools must not be turned into maternity homes.
There is no need for those who would have failed on their choice to look for a boyfriend to proceed with schoolwork. A rotten apple spoils the barrel.
I want to say, it will not be good for other pupils as well. So, when a person is impregnated, she ceases to be a pupil or a student, she becomes a mother.
Mind you Madam Speaker, there are complications associated with a person on her first pregnancy. The issues like BP, stress, untimely or early labour pains.
Surely, we must separate those who want to proceed with their schoolwork and those who have chosen to be mothers.
It must be a clear amendment to say, those who would have chosen to have boyfriends, I will reiterate, must be separated from those who want to proceed with their schoolwork because of the peer pressure.
After all, if you happen to have that pregnancy may be a Form 1 if you are not punished and proceeded with schoolwork, it means when you are now at Form 3 or Form 4 level, you again repeat the same mistake.
Surely, we must separate those who want to do their schoolwork properly without any disturbances, without being close to the bad behaviour that will be exhibited by those who would have been impregnated by other people.
