School Re-Entry Programs for Pregnant and Parenting Girls: Comparison in Two Sub-Saharan African Countries

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  In Poster Session: School Re-Entry Programs for Pregnant and Parenting Girls: Comparison in Two Sub-Saharan African Countries

Proposal

This study examines existing school re-entry programs in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) that facilitate the return of pregnant and parenting girls to formal education. In SSA, school closures due to COVID-19 have led to an increase in teenage pregnancies, and national policies and practices have made it difficult for the girls to return to school. It is estimated that one million girls may not be able to return to school even if schools reopen (World Vision, 2020).

However, there are few programs that comprehensively describe interventions for pregnant and parenting girls, and there is an even greater lack of research on their effectiveness (Wilson et al., 2013). Therefore, this study sheds light on school re-entry programs for pregnant and parenting girls, aiming to identify the challenges and opportunities of the current programs. It will help clarify effective future interventions for gender equal education that can enhance self-esteem and empower pregnant and parenting girls. This will also contribute to learning how formal education can create a gender-sensitive learning environment, which can decrease dropout and increase school completion rates.

This case study applies a conceptual framework for examining social and educational marginalization among pregnant and parenting girls. The major research source is secondary literature, including academic publications and gray literature that can help examine the current policy (“What policies are there?”) and its implementation (“What programs were offered?”). First, the academic paper provides the conceptual framework to help analyze the impacts with processes (“How were the programs delivered to the girls?”), outcomes (“What impact did the policies and programs have?”), and reasons (“Why have those results come?). Second, grey literature may provide new research findings and fresh perspectives in real contexts since most research on pregnant and parenting girls and their school re-enrollment is unpublished and mainly shown in technical reports (Wilson et al., 2013).

In SSA, formal school re-entry policies for pregnant and parenting girls are found in Botswana, Guinea, Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, and South Africa (Birungi et al., 2015). However, policy guidelines for implementation are rarely documented, and programs are often ad hoc, sometimes resulting in conflicting and confusing policies (Baa-Poku, 2019). For example, in Kenya, one set of guidelines states that pregnant girls should be sent home, while another stipulates that they should remain in school as long as possible (Birungi et al., 2015). Moreover, these policies are often based on gender norms that exclude pregnant and parenting girls, potentially reproducing social stigma and reinforcing discrimination (Chilisa, 2002).

Given that, education policymakers and educators need to develop new interventions to address the above issues. This study examines existing school re-entry programs with the aim of identifying possible intervention models that can accommodate pregnant and parenting girls in schools, prevent educational exclusion, and promote social inclusion for girls’ empowerment in SSA.

Author

• Rie Ito, University of Pennsylvania