BY:BELDINA NYANKEKE
MUSOMA.
Schoolgirl pregnancies is the problem that growing daily and it needed serious measures to end it so that to allow girls to accomplish their educational goals.
In Mara region it is difficult to punish those who involving in impregnated school girls since they get support from parents who normal want the matter to be solved out of police or other responsible organs.
Some people who interviewed by The Citizen say that some parents use their children’s pregnancies as source of income by explanation that a person who involving in the matter is ready to pay some amount so that the issue could be settled at family level.
They say that once a person is mentioned by a girl that he is the one who impregnated her they are ready to settle the issue out of court since he believes hat when the parents of the girl will file the case probably he will have a case to answer.
“It is difficult to take measures on those who involving in the matter since most of parents here prefer to settle the issue out of court” says Bwire Masau
Mr Masau says that the situation is due to the habit that some residents of the region have by explanation girls’ education has not given a priority in some community in the region.
He says that some parents are happy after noting that their daughter is pregnant since they know that she will no longer go on with her studies and instead she will get married so that the parents will dowry.
Speaking to The Citizen a the Executive Director for ABC foundation a Non Governmental organization that deals with women and children’s right in Musoma Municipality Mr Justus Nyarugendo says that it is difficult to file make a person who involve in school girl pregnancies since there is no corporation between parents and women rights organizations.
He says that many parents tend to seek help from the NGOs that deal with children and women rights only if the accused refuted to settle the matter out of court by paying some money to the parent of student.
He says that parents also use those NGOs as the place where they can threaten accused so that the accused will be ready to provide the amount they have been asked by parents so that to end the matter.
“They use these NGOs to threaten the accused so once a person heard that the matter has been presented to NGO he will try his level best to convince the parents so that to bring back at the family level the issue so that to be discussed and find solution” he explains
He adds that many NGOs that deal with children rights face hard time to fire those people who involve in school girls pregnancies by explanation there is no cooperation between parents, schoolgirls and NGOs.
He says that if the habit will not be ended the situation might be worse since men will use the opportunity to destroy girls’ future.
Mr Nyarugendo says that it is needed joint efforts from government and other stakeholders to educate residents of Mara region on the importance of girls education so that they could be able to take measures when their schoolgirls are impregnated.
He gives an example of a patron (46) of club which deals with the mitigation of women rights in Musoma municipality who allegedly to impregnate a 13 years girl and then the parents of the girl decided to settle the issue locally.
He explained that accused impregnate the girl last year when she was in standard seven whereby she did her standard seven national exams and then she selected to join Nyasho Secondary in Musoma Municipal but she failed to do so due to pregnancy.
Mr Nyarugendo says that previously the parents of that girl decided to bring the issue to his office so that his NGO to look on how it can help him but when they are in the process of filing case at the court the father of girl disappeared and when they contacted him he refuted to give corporation.
He says that due to that they failed to go on with the process since there was no cooperation between his office and the parents of the girl and that they decided to investigate the reason behind the issue.
He said that later they recognized that the accused gave Sh 300,000 to the parents of the girl so that to end the case locally.
“This is a good example of parents within the region at large and we have experience difficulties in dealing with school girls pregnancies” he insists
according the report submitted by the assistant Mara Regional Secretary Mr Reginald Kombania during the regional Consultative (RCC) meeting held in Musoma recently 632 schoolgirls from Primary and Secondary Schools in the region were forced to left schools after they were being impregnated between2006 and 2010.
Mr Kombania said that during the period 373 school girls from Primary schools were impregnated while 259 girls were from Secondary Schools.
He said that the Musoma District council is leading in the region by having big number of schoolgirls who were impregnated whereby he explained that during the time 190 from Primary schools were impregnated while 145 students were from secondary schools from the district.
He added that, Musoma Municipal has the less number of students who were impregnated whereby he said that during the time 16 school girls from Primary Schools were impregnated while nine girls were from secondary schools within Municipality.
Mr Kombania said that pregnancies is the big challenge that facing education sector in the region the situation that he said that has lead to girls to not achieve their educational goals.
He said that due to that regional authority has directed district authorities to take serious measures on those who impregnate and marry school girls as the way of reducing and ending the problem.
He said that regional authorities have distributed an Education Act No 25 of 1978 to all leaders and from district up to ward levels so that they can start implements it.
He added that all districts were ordered to search for all people who involved in the matter and make sure that they appeared before court so that they can be a lesson to other people.
He said that all districts authorities were ordered to search for all school girls who were married but they don’t have pregnancies so that to back them at schools to continue with their studies.
Mr Kombania said that in order to end the problem districts have to put strategies of building hostels at each secondary schools so that to accommodate all girls the situation that will help them to not to rent rooms at areas which are not friendly to them.