A total of 67 school girls aged between 13 and 16 have dropped out of school due to early pregnancy, according to a report presented by Ms Christine Mndeme, District Commissioner of Dodoma, Tanzania.
Out of the 67 girls, 61 are from secondary school, while the remaining six are from primary school. The dropouts occurred between August last year and February this year.
Ms Mndeme expressed concern over the growing number of young girls abandoning school due to pregnancy, stating, "We are not going to tolerate seeing the future of these young and ambitious girls get ruined by some unscrupulous and irresponsible adults. They will be dealt with accordingly and ruthlessly."
In response to the issue, the government has launched an investigation and crackdown to find those responsible for impregnating school-going children. The regional education office and the police are collaborating on the effort.
Ms Mndeme emphasized the need for society to take a proactive role in fighting against early pregnancy, while the government works to put an end to it. She also advised parents, teachers, and headteachers to educate pupils and students on the importance of education and the need to avoid early pregnancy.
The recovered account cited reporting by Tuko.
