Social media users have expressed mixed opinions on whether pregnant pupils should be allowed to continue their education without facing stigmatisation.
This follows a recent call by pupils urging that expectant learners be permitted to remain in school during pregnancy without prejudice.
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The pupils argued during the commemoration of the International Day of the Girl Child that while policies were in place to allow pregnant pupils to continue with their education, there were still bottlenecks including stigmatisation.
In response most users argued that society should place greater emphasis on preventing teenage pregnancies in the first place.
One user suggested that pregnant pupils should be allowed to attend classes only until their pregnancy becomes visibly noticeable and that after that they should stay at home until after giving birth and then return to complete their education.
Another said it was wrong for pupils to fall pregnant while still in school.
“There should be a serious effort to protect other children from being influenced by such behaviour. Once a pupil is allowed to attend school with a visible pregnancy, it means we as society are indirectly normalising and promoting the act,” she said.
Another user expressed concern about the potential health risks. He argued that if pregnant pupils were to remain in school, every school would need medical personnel on standby in case of complications.
Some users also raised questions about equality and accountability, with one contributor suggesting that if pregnant pupils are barred from attending school, the same rule should apply to the fathers if they are also pupils.
Meanwhile, another user proposed that pregnant pupils should have separate schools altogether, reasoning that this would prevent their situation from influencing other learners.
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