Abstract:
Policies that provide for equitable access to formal education by girls who could fall
pregnant while in school are now common in Africa. However, the benefits of such
policies to the affected girls vary from country to country. This paper critiques postcolonial
legislative and policy frameworks that aim to open educational opportunities to
pregnant teenagers in South Africa and Zimbabwe. Benchmarking with international
conventions such as CEDAW, CRC, EFA and MDG, the paper analyses South Africa and
Zimbabwe’s postcolonial legislations and policies that affect the educational access,
participation and outcomes of pregnant and parenting girls of school going age. The
paper posits that although the observed policy institutionalisation in both countries is
an important measure in democratising formal schooling for girls who could fall
pregnant while at school, that alone is inadequate without strategies aimed at
confronting the negative traditional, social and cultural variables that militate against
pregnant girls who choose to pursue their educational aspirations through the formal
school system.
