Has the Ministry of Education got it all wrong? Well it seems as though the Ministry led by Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed has got it twisted. CS Amina Mohamed today announced that the government has developed a digital application that will be used to gather data on the number of pregnancies among school-going girls.
But the question, is this real question at hand? How does obtaining data help curb the issue that took center stage in this year’s national examination?
The Education CS was speaking in Nanyuki town this morning where she was overseeing the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Examination exam. Amina said that the high number of teenage pregnancies has become an issue of great concern forcing her ministry to partner with international agencies and civil society groups to help curb the habit.
According to Amina, the new app will be distributed to all schools and gather data on the number of pregnancies reported in the past three years. It will send a matrix to primary and secondary school heads, who will fill in pregnancy data in their schools in a bid to come up with remedial measures.
While releasing KCPE results on Monday this week, CS Amina Mohamed decried the rate of teenage pregnancies in the country.
“The rate of teenage pregnancies in the country is puzzling. Preliminary reports have shown that the magnitude of the problem is much bigger than we thought. We are staring a national crisis in the face,” she said.
She further urged parents to step up and take responsibility of their children.
“How don’t you know where your 12-year-old is in the afternoon? Why would you allow your child to be exposed to these really dangerous habits of going out in the afternoon in discos, drinking, drugs and engaging in actions that all of us would be ashamed of? You need to take responsibility for these children,” she said.
What do you presume could be a lasting solution to the menace of teenage pregnancies in Kenya?