Suspending Pregnant School Girls Makes Mockery of "Girls Day"

I think it’s cute that we think we are anywhere close to celebrating the girl child. Granted that memes are free and editing our pictures on social media has become the knee jerk reactions to show support for courses we are too lazy or hypocritical to do anything about. In a world where pregnancy is still considered sufficient justification to expel a girl from some public secondary schools, we are far from qualifying to pat ourselves on the back.

Everyone knows about that girl in high school who their parents and teachers warned them about. You know the one with bigger breasts that the other girls hated or envied. The one the male teachers on teaching practice took a tad too long at her desk. She may not have been the prettiest or smartest but she was evidently more physically mature than the rest of you. The one that had to drop out of school because she got pregnant by a boy from the neighboring school or by that Matatu conductor who used to “forget” to pick her bus fare. 

No one is surprised that she is pregnant and the general response it, “such a shame to waste a girl as bright”. “Now her education is over” etc. The school obviously expels her and her parents are too scandalized and to ask why. Her pastor dad (always the pastor for some reason) even tries to beat her up at the school and has to be begged by the principal and the mother to stop.  As all this happens no one seems to wonder if these pregnancy expulsions are not illegal. Doesn’t the constitution state that children have a right to an education? Of course as soon as the child gets pregnant this right seems to become null and void but does it really? If you get pregnant at 17 why should you be denied a chance to continue with your education? Someone will claim that breaking school rules by getting pregnant implies you deserve to be expelled but really? In the first place is that rule not unconstitutional?  Pregnancy is after all among other things a medical condition.

If a student is diagnosed with cancer, they probably get their treatment and are welcome to come back to the school anytime they feel better. Should a girl not by the same reason get her place in the school as soon as she has weaned her child?  Why do we complain that unwanted pregnancies end academic careers while the truth is our self-righteous parents and teachers gang up against girls who were foolish enough to have unprotected sex.

 Which bring up another subject. What are we punishing when we expel girls for being pregnant? Are we punishing the fact that they had sex? Because if that is the case, then we have a ton of girls who need to be expelled? Reality is we are punishing them for having unprotected sex. Given that in our culture people who preach abstinence as a means of pregnancy and STD avoidance are taken more seriously than those teaching safe sex it is like a quadruple standard. 

Girls are not given enough information about safe sex but those that can’t practice it or who don’t know the cheapest coat hanger abortion quack are punished. To put it another way. We reward girls who are lucky enough to not get pregnant, use condom, or know how to procure abortions. In the category of sex having girls (who are probably the majority) only a small arbitrary fraction are punished. It only a coincidence that their outcome is the most difficult to manage.

In the 90’s the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS would have qualified to a have a students found positive to be expelled from school. Today, because we are much less ignorant and humane. We give them special attention because they have special needs. We have time off for them when they need it and we ensure they keep their doctors appointments while in schools.  We recognize that they may have made a mistake and had unprotected sex but we still endeavor to keep them in school because HIV/AIDS while a terminal condition does not mean that one’s life is over. [Related News Story]

On the other hand, a female student walking around the school with a protruding belly is a sight scary enough to force a school to terminate a girls future education prospects (at least in that school) and still keep the sympathies of the parents and her colleagues.  Ultimately, the missionary position (definitely a pun) our schools have taken in regard to pregnant school girls is likely benefits no-one except the abortion quacks who are the reason a good number of students are still in school.  Very few so called church sponsored, or even liberal schools would see the irony here.  The girl child needs to be cared for even when she is 16 and pregnant, she needs to stay in school until she has to deliver then go home and wean her baby after which her place in that school should be intact.

 Before you jump to say pregnancy does not mix with education, remember the women who run this country and handle things more complicated than the 8.44 system do it every day.  This should not be a favor for the girls. It is their right!! Pregnant girls are just as inconvenient to the school as working mothers are to a company by the amount of free time they need etc. No one would fire someone for being pregnant in the 21^st century but plenty of school suspend or even expels girls for the same. 

Unfortunately, due to our obtuse reasoning, you will here people saying “what about the boy(assuming he is a fellow student as well) he should be forced to take responsibility or be expelled as well”  So what? How will expelling a boy who is not willing to take responsibility or even one who is help the mother and child. Plus if the boy is not 18 you cannot force him to take responsibility for the child!

Supporting the girl child should happen even when she has messed up.