Pregnant students in State schools outnumber those in independent ones six to one, according to a Health Department study.
The research found there were 236 pregnant girls under 18 in secondary State schools between 2011 and 2015, compared to 38 in independent schools. The female student population in government schools totalled 32,451 and 22,814 in non-State schools in the period during which the study was held.
The findings, published recently in the Malta Medical School Gazette, also recorded a declining trend in pregnancies for this group of students in independent and Church schools. There were eight pregnant students in 2013 and 2014, with the figure dropping to just two in 2015.
On the other hand, in the case of government schools, teenage pregnancies among the student population shot up from 33 in 2014 to 47 in 2015.
Clearly, the only available avenue to attempt to reduce the rates is education
The researchers noted in their study that there were several factors that lead to teenage pregnancies, including the socioeconomic background and lack of education.
“Clearly, the only available avenue to attempt to reduce these pregnancy rates is education,” the authors advised.
They urged the authorities to conduct an analysis of prevailing teaching methods, calling for more emphasis on “abstinence-plus programmes”, which were already in place but which they felt had to be re-evaluated.
“It is suggested that the personal, social and career-development-education teaching methods in the different schools be analysed and that an even greater emphasis be placed on abstinence-plus programmes.
“The programmes already in place appear more than adequate, but perhaps more could be done, of a specific analytical nature.
“It might be possible to identify potential causes or precipitants for local teenage pregnancy to further decrease the teenage pregnancy rate,” the researchers concluded.
Commissioned by the Divisions of Education and Health, the study was authored by Victor Grech, Miriam Gatt, Raymond Camilleri, Erin Camilleri and Neville Calleja.