Dear Editor,

The “girl effect” is the potential social and economic transformation that occurs if girls are given the opportunity to learn, earn and lead healthy lives. Women and girls will reinvest approximately 90 per cent of their earnings in their household (compared to 30 to 40 per cent for men). An extra year of primary school raises a girl’s lifetime wages by 10 to 20 per cent, and an extra year of secondary school raises her lifetime wages by 15 to 25 per cent. Therefore, inhibiting schooling for girls who have become pregnant vastly undermines the ‘girl effect’ and the ability of these girls to contribute to their social well-being and that of their children.

On March 11, 2010, the Observer published an article, titled “Schools Shun Teen Mothers”, highlighting the tenuous nature of a girl’s schooling post-pregnancy. The executive director of the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation (WCJF) programme bemoaned the practice of schools refusing to reinstate girls who have given birth and participated in the WCJF’s programme. She further added that this practice is aided and abetted by The Education Act .

Whether you view it as a public health problem or not, sexual intercourse at a young age and its consequences, such as teenage pregnancy, are widespread in Jamaica. Approximately 35 per cent of Jamaican women have their first pregnancy by age 19; among currently, or ever-pregnant 15 to 19-year-olds, 88 per cent of pregnancies are unintended; and 24 per cent of women aged 15 -24 have had sexual intercourse by age 14. Teenage pregnancy is linked to risks such as school dropout, child mortality, and increased likelihood of unemployment — all reinforcing a cycle of poverty.

What are the ways to support the educational achievement of these teen mothers? Possible solutions are:

1. The Education Act should be amended to mandate that schools (this includes the school where the student was matriculated prior to giving birth) accept students after they have given birth. There could be some conditionality that students must enrol in a WCJF programme during pregnancy — this will enable the expectant mother to continue her schooling and receive pertinent health information.

2. Explore the piloting of an on-site daycare centre at a few high schools. While schools must walk a fine line between condoning teenage pregnancy and supporting teen parents, there needs to be a concerted effort to minimise school dropouts — a cohort which includes teen mothers. The provision of on-site daycare facilities may be an option to mitigate the school dropout rate. There could be a mandatory component for teen mothers who use these facilities to participate in parenting classes and counselling sessions to minimise future risky behaviour.

Clearly, there will be a cost associated with this, but some suggestions to take care of the cost factor may include:

a) The student contributing a yearly fee to the running of the facility;

b) A public-private partnership between the Ministry of Education and an entity to run the child-care facilities.

c) An allocation from the National Health Fund’s Institutional Benefits to support the running of the daycare facilities as part of its mandate to support projects that emphasise health promotion.

3. Strengthen primary and secondary schools’ guidance and counselling programmes.

4. Strengthen student clubs, mentoring programmes and summer programmes as efforts to engage students to minimise their involvement in risky behaviour.

a) Encourage schools to work with private sector organisations to develop work-study/internship/apprenticeship programmes

b) Why not make the National Youth Service mandatory for all students at the end of their first or second year of high school?

Investment in women and girls yield positive effects on the nation, particularly the family unit. It is not in Jamaica’s interest to maintain those barriers that prevent further schooling of teenage mothers, a status which is already a barrier for these girls. Let us unleash the ‘girl effect’ among this group.

Karelle Samuda

karelle.samuda@gmail.com