Jonas Chanda, Chairperson of the Zambian Parliamentary Committee on Health, Community Development and Social Services on Wednesday said that no fewer than 15,000 girls dropped out of school in 2016 due to pregnancies.
Chanda said the figures indicate that there was need for more interventions in order to reduce the number of girls dropping out of school due to pregnancies.
In remarks delivered when the committee called on Minister of General Education Denis Wanchinga, the official further said there was need for strategies to protect the girl child from dropping out of school.
“Once the strategy to protect them is established it will enable the girls contribute to the country’s development,’’ according to state broadcaster, the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation.
On his part, the Zambian minister said his ministry had introduced comprehensive education to enable pupils to have information in order to prevent pregnancies among pupils.
The ministry, he added, was also not distributing condoms or family planning to pupils but instead educating them through availing adequate information on sexuality.
Various comprehensive sexual reproductive materials have been distributed to all schools to educate the pupils, he added.
High teenage pregnancy rates had hit Ndola High schools with Chifubu topping the list at 87 pregnancies recorded last year in 2013.
A survey conducted in different schools in Ndola, Zambia also showed that 10 pupils from the same school became pregnant in 2014.
