Some Schooling Challenges Faced By Student-Mothers
Teenage pregnancy is a global problem with U.S.A., UK and Australia leading in rates of teenage pregnancies in the developed world
At a time when more money and time is being spent on education than ever before students’ drop out due to pregnancy becomes an issue of great concern to the nation. When a girl drops out of secondary school, the cost is often higher than when she drops out in primary school due to the cumulative expenditure over the years. The situation is worsened by the fact that the student leaves without a certificate unless she returns to complete school after delivery.
Despite the existence of the re-entry policy in many countries, most student-mothers still find it difficult to fit back into the school system after delivery. However, some resume but they face numerous challenges as they try to fit back into the schooling environment.
A girl has to work ten times harder to put her life back on the rails after becoming a mother before the recommended time. She has to fight stigma from her community and if she goes back to school, she faces even more discrimination from peers who have survived student pregnancy. They face rejection and are forced to abandon school. Life becomes a virtual struggle and putting up with the hostile environment at school is an uphill battle.
Student-mothers are normally not fully settled while at school and this adversely affects their social and academic life. They lack a great level of concentration in their academic work due to lack of ability to adequately manage parenting and schooling successfully at the same time.
The society also contributes to the woes of student mothers. It does not appreciate teenage pregnancy and children born out of wedlock. Considering that these student mothers are already in that state, most of them are worried over their future life for they are not sure about their fate in marriage.
Since the student mothers had become mothers while young and still in school they are stigmatized and so they tend to have low self esteem. Low self-esteem make them feel out of place especially when other students feel that they are not fit to be within the school system.
Lastly, student-mothers experience stigma from various sources. They are teased by fellow students, some parents and some teachers. Fellow students often verbally abuse these girls, making their participation in class to seem unwelcome. Teenage mothers are sometimes ridiculed in front of classmates by both teachers and other students whenever they do not satisfy the class requirements making them suffer from low self-esteem, fear and loneliness at school.
The return to school policy is a noble idea to help girls who would have otherwise dropped out of school because of pregnancy get a second chance to education. These girls need adequate support if they are to complete their secondary education and get access to higher education.