UN Resident Coordinator urges churches to reintegrate teenage mothers back into school

UN Resident Coordinator in the Kingdom of Eswatini, Ms. Nathalie Ndongo-Seh has urged church leaders to advocate for the reintegration of teenage mothers back into school. She was guest speaker at the Annual General Meeting of the Council of Swaziland Churches on the 26th of May 2021.

“The future of a girl child should not be disrupted by pregnancy and parental obligations,” she said. “Churches are a very important stakeholder in education.  Several churches own schools. This means they have a key role to play in protecting the education right of the girl child.”

Members of the Council of Swaziland Churches own 152 primary schools and 32 high schools in Eswatini.

Ndongo-Seh further applauded the Minister of Education for urging all schools to ensure the reintegration of pregnant learners into the school system. “Churches are encouraged to hear and act on that call, and are invited to partner with the Government, the UN and civil society organizations in addressing the issue of teenage pregnancies and the reintegration of learners into the school system,” the Resident Coordinator stated.

“We are also seeking the Church’ assistance in  encouraging parents to support the school return of all children, boys and girls, and particularly the most vulnerable ones including teenage mothers. Churches should continue to ensure, with the Government, parents and all stakeholders that schools are safe and remain open amid the COVID-19 challenges.”

She also sought the assistance of the church in advocating for the standardization of school fees. “School fees is also one of the barriers to education access,” she observed. “ We hope that churches, alongside other partners, can engage in discussions to standardize school fees, especially in the secondary where education is largely financed by parents. The COVID-19 situation has resulted in losses of incomes and livelihoods for many families. It is therefore likely that many parents will not be able to afford school fees for their children.”

The Resident Coordinator will hold further consultative meetings with church leaders to explore avenues for stronger partnerships in addressing many social issues such as poverty, food security, human rights, gender-based violence, teenage pregnancies and others.