In March Uganda joins the rest of the world to celebrate the 2025 International Women’s Day under the theme “ For all women and girls: rights. equality. empowerment”. For us, it called for reflection on how to reintegrate teenage mothers into the education system.
Teen pregnancy remains a significant challenge in Uganda, with thousands of young girls forced to abandon their education. The 2022 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS) indicates that 24 percent of the teenage girls aged 15-19 years have begun childbearing. Teenage pregnancy is significantly higher in rural areas estimated at 25 percent compared to 21 percent in urban areas.
Despite efforts such as the National Strategy to End Child Marriage and Teenage Pregnancy 2022/23- 2026/27, the National strategy for Girls’ Education, which aim reintegrate teenage mothers into the education system, a staggering 70 percent fail to return to school to resume studies after giving birth.
Economic hardship at household level plays a significant role, with the UDHS 2022 report indicating that 45 percent of families cite financial constraints as the primary reason for not sending teenage mothers back to school.
Additionally, among teenage mothers who drop out, 38 percent report that they are forced into informal labour to support their children, which further limits their chances of re-enrolment. with families often prioritizing the education of boys over girls. In some cases, schools lack the necessary reintegration support structures such as daycare facilities within schools and flexible learning hours. This makes it challenging for adolescent mothers to balance education and motherhood. Many schools lack psychosocial counselling services to address the psychological impact of early pregnancy, which further discourages teenage mothers from re-enrolment.
Many teenage mothers face stigma and rejection from their families, schools and communities, making it even harder for them to return to school. Although Uganda has legal provisions that protects the right to education for all children. Enforcement remains weak. The re-entry policy which allows young mothers to continue their studies is often ignored by schools. Some school administrators still expel pregnant students or discourage them from returning due to societal stigma and outdated moral beliefs. Some schools outrightly deny re-admission to teenage mothers.
This is exacerbated by cultural beliefs that prioritise teenage mothers for marriage and domestic roles instead of continuing their studies after being pregnant. Many teenage mothers are pressured into early marriages, which further limits their chances of continuing education. There is a need for a multi-faceted approach to curb teenage pregnancies and support young mothers in continuing their education. Strengthening access to reproductive health services. Schools should be incentivised to keep pregnant girls from schools.
Establish and strengthen school reintegration services such daycare facilities within schools, flexible learning hours and psychosocial counselling for teenage mothers to ensure that they receive the appropriate psychosocial and financial support to continue their education. The government, civil society organizations, and communities must work together to change societal perceptions and ensure that teenage mothers are not forced into early marriage. There is a need for more aggressive community engagement, particularly targeting local leaders and religious institutions, to shift perceptions about teenage mothers while ensuring the enforcement of protective laws is strengthened.
Featured photos/UNICEF