Over 25 girls drop out of school every year at Lukomba Secondary School in Kapiri Mposhi district due to pregnancy and early marriages.
School Guidance and Counseling Teacher Esther Nkazi disclosed that most children come from far flung areas and are forced to rent accommodation from surrounding villages because of the lack of dormitories at the learning facility.
Ms Nkazi explained that the practice of renting accommodation from surrounding villages has proven unsafe as many girls are taken advantage of and are becoming victims of pregnancy and early marriages.
Ms Nkazi revealed this when Women’s Lobby Chapter Board Member, Dorothy Mambwe and Education Standards Officer Special Education, Mary Masumba visited the School.
Kapiri Mposhi District Education Board (DEB), has appealed to government to construct dormitories at Lukomba Secondary School to provide accommodation for girl pupils.
Ms Masumba explained that the school with over 1800 pupil enrollment is the only senior secondary school in Nkole Chiefdom catchment forcing children who qualify to grade 10 from surrounding schools to engage in weekly boarding to access secondary education.
“The statistics of pregnancy and early marriages are not good at Lukomba. We need government to come in to secure lives for our girl learners who are being abused and impregnated,” Ms Masumba said.
And Kapiri Women’s Lobby Chapter Board Member, Dorothy Mambwe has called on enhanced collaboration to ensure progression of girls in education as the country strives to actualise parity in gender representation in key decision making structures.
Mr Mambwe stressed that educated girls narrow the gender gap and boost participation of women in development.
Purely a decay of family values and morals