Pretoria - While social media users remain at odds over the fate of pregnant school learners, the Gauteng Department of Education has condemned the implementation of a policy excluding them from admission at a school in Mamelodi.
The Stanza Bopape Secondary School in Mamelodi was instructed by the department to immediately withdraw, review and align its admission policy to the national policy.
This was after it was reported that the school had, as of January, implemented a policy requiring pregnant learners to stay home until they had given birth, unless their parents could go to school daily and look after them.
According to the department’s Steve Mabona, all schools had to operate as per the guidance contained in the Prevention and Management of Learner Pregnancy in Schools policy.
Mabona explained that as per the policy, children had an inalienable right to access basic education. This included pregnant learners and those who had given birth to a child still being afforded the right to continue and complete their basic education.
He further added that it also remained the right of a pregnant learner to remain in school during her pregnancy and to return soon after delivery of the child as was appropriate for both learner and child.
"The school is required to reasonably accommodate the learner to ensure that her right to education is not disrupted. This may require short or medium absences from school with an undertaking to secure a space for her return and the completion of her education.
"Consequently, the school governing body will be capacitated and workshopped in aligning their school admission policy to the national and provincial policies and legislation."
He further explained that pregnant learners were required to submit a fitness report to the school after each pre-and post-natal examination at their local health facility. This was to ensure the health and wellness of the pregnant learner and unborn child and to avoid the pregnant learner developing complications while at school.
He said the pregnant learner had to stay at home if the medical report indicated that she was unfit to return to school, with the parents and the learner to ensure the safety of the new-born baby.
"We have launched an Investigation and corrective measures will be applied accordingly. Furthermore, an update will be provided in due course," Mabona said.
Scores of social media users have also weighed in rather harshly on the matter, including Estelle du Toit who commented: "It's the right thing to do. Children should learn not to have children."
Tanya Shelver-Smith said: "They should be allowed to attend until they show then study at home and go back to write exams after the birth. They still deserve a chance to try to make something of their future."
Robert Cele commented: "Schools have no nursing facilities and this is a burden to teachers. Really, once a child gets pregnant they must have a caretaker at home, not at school."
Pretoria News