Gov’t formulating policy to reintegrate teenage mothers into school

The Education Ministry on Tuesday, February 13, 2018, convened a multi-stakeholder group meeting to discuss the first draft of the Education Sector Policy on the Reintegration of Adolescent Mothers into the Formal School System. The discussion was held at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD).

In a statement from the Ministry, it was noted that the goal of the policy is to advance the prevention of adolescent pregnancy and the management of the reintegration of adolescent mothers into the formal school system.

“It is envisaged that the policy which must be approved by cabinet, will assist in reducing the number of pregnancies among school-age girls and at the same time increase the number of adolescent mothers who re-enter the formal school system to complete their secondary education without any hindrances,” the statement outlined.

The project is being funded by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The group, which comprises representatives from government ministries and other non-governmental organisations, will discuss the first draft of the policy and adjust if necessary, the Ministry said.

At present, the Ministry of Education (MoE) does not have a formal policy on this issue.

Should this draft become a formal policy, Guyana will become the second country in the Caribbean behind Jamaica to have a policy in place to address such issues.