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Toolkit to support pregnant and mother students in South African schools

Supported by a Changing Policy and Practice Award, a team of researchers have developed a ground-breaking toolkit designed for educators who engage with pregnant and mother learners in South African secondary schools.

This initiative demonstrates a commitment to creating inclusive and supportive school environments, ensuring pregnant and mother learners receive the support they need to thrive academically and personally.

Dr Jane Kelly

Adolescent pregnancy and parenthood disrupt education and health globally, posing especially significant challenges for young parents in sub-Saharan Africa.

A new initiative by Professor Lucie Cluver, Chelsea Coakley, Dr Janina Jochim, Dr Jane Kelly, and Associate Professor Elona Toska aims to improve educational and health outcomes for pregnant and parenting adolescent learners in South African schools. This project addresses the challenges faced by adolescent parents, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.

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The research team from the University of Cape Town and the University of Oxford studied over 1,000 adolescent mothers in South Africa’s Eastern Cape. They identified factors contributing to school dropout, such as poor academic performance before pregnancy, leaving school during pregnancy, lack of childcare support, strained caregiver relationships, food insecurity, and long distances to school.

Alongside this, in 2021 South Africa’s Department of Basic Education (DBE) introduced a policy on the ‘Prevention and Management of Learner Pregnancy in Schools,’ recognizing the role of schooling in health outcomes. Supported by a Changing Policy and Practice (CPP) award from the Medical Research Foundation, the research team developed a training toolkit to improve school healthcare and support services for pregnant and new mothers.

The Khanyisa Ngemfundo Research Team, in collaboration with the DBE, launched this toolkit to help pregnant and mother learners stay in school and complete their education.

In 2022-23, there were 17,069 deliveries among 15-19-year-olds in the Eastern Cape alone, highlighting the urgency of this issue.

The toolkit, developed through mixed-methods research with adolescent mothers, educators, and programme implementers, provides educators with essential information, self-reflection opportunities, and strategies to support pregnant and mother learners effectively.

Dr Jane Kelly said, "This initiative demonstrates a commitment to creating inclusive and supportive school environments, ensuring pregnant and mother learners receive the support they need to thrive academically and personally."

Read the toolkit here

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