WIDNet

The Re-Entry Policy, Offering Girls Another Chance

In line with international and national policy declarations, the Ministry of Education has put in place a number of strategies to increase girls’ and boys’ education. One such strategy is the Re-Entry Policy which mandates schools to allow girls back into the school system who previously left school due to pregnancy. The Ministry has taken this move because education is a right, regardless of a girl’s situation. In addition, gender disparities persist in favour of males in literacy rates, school enrolments, completion rates and education attainments, most of which are in part attributable to teenage pregnancy. Moreover, among other issues, teenage pregnancy is a major factor contributing to high drop-out rates for girls.
In September 1997, a conference on girls’ education was held at Mulungushi International Conference Centre, Lusaka, at which the then Minister of Education, Dr S Syamujaye, announced that school girls who became pregnant would no longer be expelled. He also declared that those who had been expelled in 1997 should be allowed to return to school.

BACKGROUND

The Forum for African Women Educationists (FAWE) Regional Office initiated the Strategic Resource Planning Document which came out of a research on the situation of girls in Africa and included a number of countries including Zambia, established several issues that prevent girls from accessing and continuing in school. The major contributor was the way girls were socialized to behave by society in comparison to boys who from infancy are perceived as leaders, girls are socialized to be subservient, passive and believe that they have a second class role in society.

The African traditional structure therefore was found to instill stereotypical norms in girls that encouraged early marriages and a mentality of servitude to the males. This socialization also deprived girls of any negotiation skills which in short makes girls vulnerable to boys’ advances for sex.

Until 1997, the girls who were in school that succumbed to pressure or were raped and fell pregnant got expelled from school while the boys or men who caused the pregnancy got away free.

FAWE-Zambia spearheaded the campaign to bring back the girls to school until the Ministry of Education instituted the Re-Entry Policy. The guidelines on how the policy was to be implemented were worked out by FAWEZA in conjunction the Ministry of Education and UNICEF.

The Re-Entry Policy has received resistance both at community, faith-based schools and government school levels. However, it is FAWEZA’s belief that the girls need a second chance to go back to school if they are to come out of the vicious cycle of poverty. FAWEZA invites all concerned citizens to join in the sensitization not only for the community to know about the policy but in educating girls that they have every right to say NO to sexual advances.

Many girls have taken advantage of the re-entry policy and have gone back to school. Mukamambo II is one of the many schools implementing the policy in full. Below is their report:

MUKAMAMBO II GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL

Mukamambo II Girls High School started implementing the re-entry policy in the year 2000 and they had the first nine (9) grade twelve(12) pupils in 2002 had come back under the re-entry policy. Of the nine, eight got division one and one got division two results in the Senior High School leaving examinations (‘O’ levels). Mwaibi Chola Blessing enrolled at the University of Zambia whilst the others in colleges.

• In 2003, we had 16 in grade 12.
• In 2004, we had 12 girls in grade 12.
• In 2005, we had 16 girls in grade 12.
• In 2006 we had 33 girls of which 19 were in grade 12.

From 2000 to date, the school has recorded 77 school leavers of the re-entry girls and most of them have proved to be successful because they enrolled in various colleges; some of them are working as teachers and nurses. Not all the re-entry cases come about because of pregnancies. Some of them are delayed due to financial problems and others early marriages.

Mercy Kashoka with her 3 months old baby in her village. Teen mother re-entry grade 12, 2006

CHALLENGES

1. Most of the girls after completing their grade 12 do not come back to tell us their successes and failures. We are only updated up to their tertiary education.

2. Some (/ Not all) of the girls do not learn from their past experiences. We have had cases were re-entry girls get pregnant again.
• In 2005, we had three pregnancies from re-entry girls.
• In 2006, we had two pregnancies from re-entry girls.

3. Most of the re-entry girls feel out of place in school especially the elderly ones. They find it difficult to mix with the young girls.

4. Some of them perform very poorly academically, despite being counseled.

SUCCESSES

1. Despite having challenges the re-entry policy has proved to be successful because most of the girls testify and educate other girls within the school on the dangers of premarital sex.
2. Most of the re-entry girls do well in O’ level examinations.
3. As a school we have recorded 55 school leavers from 2003 to 2006.
Below are some pictures of young mothers who have gone back to school.

Cordelia Hanyuma: Teen mother with her 6 years old child. She is doing her grade 12, 2007

The positive impact of the re-entry programme on development cannot be overemphasized. The girls are given an opportunity to go back to school, later get a job and be able to look after their children. There are many women who are even in university and holding high positions in society because of this policy. Others have criticized this policy on the basis that it encourages girls to get involved in early sex. But the question has always been, why punish the girls only? When you weigh the two options (punishment and correction) objectively, you will find that the corrective measure has more advantages to all parties concerned in this equation.

Africa needs such policies in place because women are the backbone of society and the innocent children born from these girls deserve better. Arise African girls!!! Stand up to the challenge, go back to school because you deserve it and you need to stand on your own.