Enrolling Teenage Mothers in the Formal Secondary Education System: A New Policy Implementation Assessment

Abstract

This is an early assessment of a policy implemented to enroll teenage mothers in the formal secondary education system in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. This important policy change allowing teenage mothers back to school is new. The actions taken are identified, and recommendations are made. The late Tanzanian President, Hon. John Pombe Magufuli, declared in a speech on June 22, 2017, that no pregnant students would be allowed to return to school during his presidency. However, after his untimely demise, a new head of state, a female president, changed the policy, and for the first time, directives were provided that teenage mothers should enroll back in schools.  In this research, a purposeful random sampling was used to select the required number of respondents. Questionnaires and interviews were utilized to gather primary data, while secondary data were collected from various earlier research and other sources. Data analysis employed descriptive statistics for quantitative data using MS Excel and qualitative data through content analysis. The study findings revealed that there is currently no legal framework or policy for enrolling teenage mothers in formal education. Teenage mothers struggle to balance school and parental responsibilities, and face discrimination from their peers.  To address these issues, the study recommends the development of a framework to guide formal education for teenage mothers, provision of financial resources, creation of a suitable learning environment, and moral support, including counselling.