Teenage pregnancies and the girl child education in Kawempe division, Kampala district

Abstract

The study was about the effect of early pregnancy on girl child education in Kawempe division, Kampala district. The devastating consequences on the health and social lives of pregnant young girls has rendered teenage pregnancy a major concern in both developed and developing countries with Uganda being among countries with the highest rates of teenage pregnancies in sub-Saharan Africa, estimated at about 25% (UBOS/UDHS, 2011). This study was guided by the general objective: To investigate the impact of teenage pregnancies on girl child education in Kawempe division, Kampala district in the central region of Uganda. It was a cross-sectional research involving the intersection of philosophical assumptions, strategies of inquiry and specific methods. Sample selection was largely systematic random sampling purposively targeting adolescent girls in and out of schools. A few male respondents and older women were also approached. The instruments of the study included interviews and questionnaires. Sample size determination was based on the Krejcie and Morgan (1970) sample size calculation giving a sample size of 217 respondents. Data analysis was done manually using thematic analysis. Basing on the specific objectives: the most prominent age group of girl child school dropouts was obtained as 16-20 years accounting for the majority at 50%, the main factor which led to teenage pregnancies was risk-taking behaviors for example drug use which promotes sex activities as agreed upon by 94% of the respondents, the effect of teenage pregnancy on the educational attainment with the highest percentage of the respondents of 97% was related to health issues. Findings from this study will therefore provide school principals, educators, parents with enhanced insights into the educational challenges stemming from school girl pregnancies.