By NORMA SIAME –
MORE than 200 school girls have dropped out of school after falling pregnant in Mansa, a 2014 report has indicated.
The report compiled by the District Commissioner’s office indicated that the pregnant girls included those from as low as grade four to secondary school level and totalled 205.
Acting District Commissioner Mweetwa Sikabbubba has appealed for concerted measures to curb early pregnancies among school girls.
Mr Sikabbubba appealed to Members of Parliament, traditional leaders and education authorities to embark on a programme to stop early marriages and pregnancies.
“The purpose of my writing to you is to request you our royal highnesses, MPs, ward councillors and heads of Government departments to come in and combine efforts in the fight against early child marriage and child pregnancy,” he said.
He directed the education board secretary, to provide detailed information on the names, ages of each affected pupil and information on the persons responsible for the pregnancies, within two weeks.
The schools with the highest drop outs due to pregnancy in Mansa were Mansa Secondary at 24 pregnancies followed by Mabumba Secondary School at 14.
Among the primary schools, Namwandwe Primary School was the worst hit at 12.
