Gareth Manning, Gleaner Writer

Some high schools in the country are still refusing re-entry to teenage mothers, who became pregnant before completing their high school certificate, in contravention of education policies and the girls' constitutional rights.

Beryl Weir, the executive director of the Women's Centre Foundation of Jamaica, said recently that, while the situation has improved over the years, there are still a number of schools that are refusing girls re-entry.

"The majority of girls are referred to us (the women's centre) through the school system, so our problem is that if you refer these girls to us you should keep their spaces for when they have their babies and finish the Women's Centre programme and they come back to you," she said.

Getting acceptance

She said that, while some principals have been accepting the girls, there are others who are not doing so.

"They do not want their girls back, but they will take girls from other schools. But there are few who definitely don't want any of their girls or any other girl in the programme," she said.

She said the complaint from the schools is often that there is no space, an excuse which, she argues, contravenes existing education policies. Under existing education policies, girls who become pregnant while in school should leave, but arrangements should be made by the Minister of Education for the girls to return to school once they give birth.

"There are the schools that seem to be an autonomous body where the principals or the school boards decide that they don't want any pregnant girls in the school ... there should be no obstacle put in the way to prevent that girl from completing her education," said Mrs. Weir. She said the girls should be encouraged to go back to school because, without an education, they are likely to find themselves in even worse situations. Once they get back into school, she points out, many of them usually excel and move on to tertiary institutions.

gareth.manning@gleanerjm.com