DECLINE IN REPORTED LEARNER PREGNANCIES – WESTERN CAPE
Schools in the Western Cape have reported a decline in learner pregnancies over the past three years from 2 880 in 2015 to 2 148 in 2017. The figure for 2016 was 2 412. The reports refer to totals for the previous year, based on the WCED’s annual survey reports.
Teenage pregnancy is one of the biggest challenges that we face in our schools, and several programmes in our schools are contributing to the decline in instances year-on-year.
Pregnant teenagers face serious health, socio-economic and educational challenges. It is of grave concern to me that so many of our learners in the Western Cape fall pregnant whilst in school. In 2017, although stats are down, an alarming 2 148 learners fell pregnant.
The Western Cape Education Department has taken an active role in seeking to understand and effectively address the challenge of teenage pregnancy, as it impacts significantly on learners. The WCED has conducted a number of pregnancy prevention workshops targeting female AND MALE learners from Grade 5 – 11.
The course content focused on important topics such as Teenage sexuality, Healthy relationships, Sexting and the Emotional and legal consequences of sexting, Understanding pregnancy, How to avoid teenage pregnancy (targeted at boys and girls), Challenges of being a teen parent and The importance of completing high school and beyond.