The problem of schoolgirl pregnancies

I have written several times about the growing problem of schoolgirl pregnancies. That is why I was really disappointed to read that, in the first nine months of 2010, there were 31 cases of schoolgirl pregnancies between the ages of 14 and 16. As I have often stated, the problem is a complicated one and needs to be tackled immediately and in a professional manner.

Let me start with sex education. It is obvious there is a crying need for a full-scale, professionally-organised programme of sex education in all our schools. Yes, even in our primary schools! Any teacher who has taught at primary level can vouch for the fact that our kids are today sexually aware at young ages undreamed of in the past. Today, it is not uncommon to hear Year 4 pupils, aged about eight, animatedly discussing sex. There are several cases where even younger pupils do so.

Those who are against sex education programmes should keep in mind that kids are today bombarded with visual information containing an explicitly sexual content. Many advertisements are based on implicit and sometimes explicit sexual themes. You need only open a glossy magazine given free with newspapers to find several sexually suggestive pictures. Not to mention, of course, cinema, television, DVDs and the internet.

However, what really worries me is the fact that some parents seem to be highly deficient in parental skills. Indeed, in the worst of cases, they sometimes are the ones who set bad examples for their own children!

Let me give some examples. Why do some parents watch DVDs with an adult and explicitly sexual content in front of young children? A colleague of mine recently told me of an incident in a primary school where a very young pupil was given a doll to play with and started mimicking the details of sexual intercourse using the doll as an example to show the other children!

Another thing I find highly irritating is the penchant of some “parents” for dressing up young girls in what would be considered provocative clothing on an older female. Why can’t we let young children enjoy the things which are appropriate for their age?

Which brings me to the subject of secondary school female students. Parents have to be responsible enough to keep track of where their children are during the whole day and night. I have often mentioned the dangers encountered by young female students who walk to school and back. It is unacceptable that such students sometimes go for a ride after school in cars belonging to adult males and disappear for an hour or two without their parents even knowing about it.

A professionally-run and comprehensive programme of sex education in schools is a must because secondary school females are going through a very difficult stage of development and need to be guided by people who wish them the best. At this period of life, girls are feeling increasingly attracted to boys without, however, being mature enough to enter into meaningful relationships. They are at an age when emotions run high and when they want to experiment with sex. It is here that a programme of sex education is crucial. How do you persuade a girl of 14 it is not “cool” to go to Paceville skimpily dressed and all made up to attract the boys? By having professional people show her there are more worthwhile alternatives for a girl of her age.

Sex education in schools is also very important because there are several families with serious social problems. In such families, chaos sometimes reigns and the older children often have to fend for themselves and take care of their younger siblings. It is up to the school to make up for the lack of parental guidance at home. In homes where the parents alternate sexual partners as if they were changing their old car for a new one, where the mother often dresses provocatively to impress her newest partner, how do you expect the children to act responsibly with regard to sex? It is up to the school to help such children at risk.

Without the aid of a sex education programme, teachers and administrators are like old-time sailors fighting a battle with blunted cutlasses.

We have to give more attention to this problem of schoolgirl pregnancies. Remember that when a girl gets pregnant at a very young age, she risks ruining a good part of her future.

The Education Division is doing its utmost to help such girls but the Achilles Heel remains the lack of an adequate sex education programme in schools. Prevention is better than cure. Can we afford to go on like this?