Tanzania has allowed students to go to school after giving birth | New Education

The government has backed the controversial 2017 policy imposed by former country leader John Magufuli.

The Tanzanian government has said it will allow teenage mothers to continue their studies after childbirth, in reverse the harshly criticized policy imposed by former President John Magufuli.

Human rights campaigns have accused Tanzania of discriminating against Magufuli in 2017 by allowing a 1961 policy to expel pregnant girls from schools and prevent them from returning to class after childbirth.

After the death of Magufuli earlier this year, his successor Samia Suluhu Hassan has sought to distance himself from some of his policies. On Wednesday, Education Minister Joyce Ndalicha said “they will be able to continue formal education after giving birth to pregnant girls.”

“I will give the circular later today. There is no time to wait,” he said at an event in the capital, Dodoma.

Magufuli promised that a pregnant student would not finish her studies under her care, saying it was immoral for young girls to have active sex.

“I give money to a student to learn for free. And then she gets pregnant, gives birth and after that, she goes back to school. No, not during my tenure, ”he said in mid-2017.

The decision was heavily criticized by human rights groups and international donors, who cut funding to the country in response to Magufuli’s policies.

At the time, Human Rights Watch (HRW) published a report that Tanzanian school officials were conducting pregnancy tests to expel pregnant students, depriving them of the right to education.

The World Bank froze a $ 300 million loan for girls ’education as a protest against the ban. According to the organization, more than 120,000 girls drop out of school in Tanzania each year, 6,500 of them due to pregnancy or having children.

“This important decision underscores the country’s commitment to supporting young girls and women and improving their opportunities for better education,” the World Bank said in a statement on Wednesday.

Sweden, which also cut funding to Tanzania last year because its freedoms were being restricted, praised the move.

“This is welcome for many girls, allowing them to unlock their full potential,” the Swedish embassy in Dar es Salaam said on Twitter.

The opposition Party for Change and Transparency (ACT Wazalendo) said the push to revolutionize politics has borne fruit.

“We did it! A clear example of a struggle, of many fronts. Everyone involved did something in support of this achievement, ”said Zitto Kabwe, head of ACT Wazalendo.

Magufuli, a COVID-skeptic, died of heart disease on March 17 after a mysterious three-week absence. His political opponents insisted he had coronavirus.

In the weeks following his swearing-in, Hassan succeeded his political opposition in Tanzania, promising to defend democracy and fundamental freedoms and reopening the banned media.

But Hassan’s hopes of ushering in a new era were hampered by the arrest of a prominent opposition leader over allegations of terror and repression against independent newspapers.