As schools are open again in Uganda after the long break of the COVID-19, and it is very difficult to start going to schools and change your routine, this kind of problem was also seen in Uganda, where mothers were seen hugging their children during a school lunch break.
Babirye is also one of those girls who are enjoying the benefits which are given to her by the Uganda government, and as per the new policy by an administration that she can also rejoin schools even after giving birth, part of a broader trend documented by Human Rights Watch where African nations are motivating young mothers back to school.
According to Babirye, I made a big mistake in my life by giving birth, but I think God made a big plan for me, So I decided to return to school.
The government closed schools in March 2020 as part of a broader response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The new policy was implemented in December 2020, but it only recently went into effect because schools were closed until January 2022.
There were many side effects of the school closures, and the major impact was teen pregnancies. As per the United Nations Population Fund, Uganda counted 290,219 teenage pregnancies from January to September 2021. The total for the year will far outnumber the 354,000 teen pregnancies recorded in 2020 and the 358,000 recorded in 2019.
According to the new policy, many women can complete their dreams.
One of the teen students said that she was just 15 when she was pregnant, and she was scared that she couldn’t join school again, but the new policy needs schools to give admission to girls after they have given birth, and parents can report school heads who refuse.
However, some high profile Ugandan leaders were against the new rules.
According to Bishop William James Ssebaggala, head of Mukono diocese about 30 kilometres east of Uganda’s capital, the church had opened schools to promote “knowledge … morals and also the fear of God”.
However, Ssebaggala stated that he was against the law of rejoining schools to young mothers in class because their relationship with God was broken.
“Children learn through observation, so whatever they see is what they learn. They believe that misbehaving as a teacher is a way to go. When such girls arrive at school, morality crumbles, “He stated.
