Learners' perspectives on the prevention and management of pregnancy school dropout: a Namibian case

Abstract

BackgroundNamibia has had a problem with the high rate of learner pregnancy and school dropout for many years, despite implementing education sector policy on preventing and managing learner pregnancy. This study aimed to explore the perspectives of school-going learners in Namibia regarding the factors contributing to learner pregnancy and school dropout and propose interventions to address them.MethodsThis qualitative research employed interpretative phenomenological data analysis, with seventeen individual and ten focus group interviews involving 63 school-going learners: adolescents, pregnant learners, and learner parents.Results and findingsEmerging factors driving learner pregnancy and school dropout in rural Namibian schools include older men and cattle herders preying on young girls, long school holidays, the proximity of alcohol sites near school premises, and age restrictions after maternity leave. The learners proposed interventions include prohibiting learners' access to alcohol establishments, strengthening collaborations between stakeholders, sensitizing girls and cattle herders, and ongoing advocacy efforts. Findings indicate community hostility, lack of infrastructure and resources, and learner unawareness. It is essential to mitigate community hostility and raise awareness. Incorporating the perspectives of learners in policy interventions remains crucial for effectively addressing the high rates of learner pregnancy and school dropout in rural Namibian schools.

Exploring actors' collaborations and involvement in the Namibian learner pregnancy policy

“…This was followed by transcribing from Oshiwambo (local language) into English. At the same time, they were taking note of non-verbal cues, reflections, and thoughts related to the participants' narratives (Shiningayamwe, 2023). The researcher used colors to annotate notes within the transcripts, facilitating the clustering of similar topics (Ramalepa et al, 2021).…”

“…The study utilized a qualitative phenomenological research design to investigate and elucidate the stakeholder collaborations and involvement in the Namibian ESPPMLP. Employing a phenomenological approach allows researchers to delve deeper into understanding the essence of the participant's experiences and the contextual factors contributing to those experiences (Alase, 2017;Creswell and Poth, 2018;Shiningayamwe, 2023). The data presented in this study are for schoolteachers (mainly school principals and life skills teachers), parents and guardians, and school boards in selected primary, junior, and secondary schools in a rural northern Namibian region.…”

“…The Namibia Education Sector Policy on the Prevention and Management of Learner Pregnancy (ESPPMLP) is a framework the Ministry of Education (MoE) rolled out in April 2013 to reduce the cases of learner's pregnancy and increase learnerparent completion of education. Despite its existence, the Education Management Information System (EMIS) Reports showed that the number of pregnancy-related school drop-outs rose from 1,560 in 2019 to 2,291 in 2020 and 3,658 in 2021, leading to public outcry and media coverage in the country (Shiningayamwe, 2023). The ESPPMLP stresses that addressing learner pregnancy and school drop-out requires a coordinated approach that involves relevant stakeholders such as parents, families, the community, churches, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) (MoE, 2012).…”

“…ESPPMLP further stresses that various stakeholders, including learners, Namibian Ministries of Gender, Health and Social Services, Safety and Security, Sport, Youth, and National Service, have a shared responsibility upon its implementation. However, a study by Shiningayamwe (2023) revealed that the absence of stakeholder involvement and collaboration in the implementation of the ESPPMLP was established from the survey of the learners' perspective in addressing learner pregnancy and school drop-out (Shiningayamwe, 2023).…”

“…Learner pregnancy and school drop-out refer to an incident where a learner dropped out of school due to pregnancy. Learner-parent (learner-mother or learner-father) refers to any learner who becomes a parent while attending school (MoE, 2012;Shiningayamwe, 2023).…”