BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR
Christina, 19, now a single parent, was at pains to turn down a proposal by her “Maths Teacher” to fall in love affair.
If she rebuffed him, he would develop a hostile attitude towards her in his classes. In the end, she would be a loser.
After all the “Maths Teacher” had promised that he would help her pass the “Maneb” examinations if she accepted his proposal.
“I stand to lose if I deny him of what he wants from me,” so Christina thought. That marked the beginning of a ‘teacher-pupil’ affair.
A few weeks into their relationship Christina noted some changes on her body. They were tell-tale signs that she was pregnant.
When she broke the story to the “Maths Teacher”, he refused to take responsibility for the pregnancy.
“I am sorry I cannot take responsibility for this. Just find a young man of your age and cheat him into having sex with you. Possibly, he would be able to take responsibility for this,” he coaxed her.
The Maths Teacher was afraid of two eventualities: he would lose his job if the Ministry of Education discovered he impregnated his own pupil.
In the worst, he would be arrested for thwarting the future of the girl he was entrusted to prepare for a future leader.
He could not marry her either since he was already married to fellow teacher.
“I promise to assist you raise the child. But you should not mention me as a culprit. Otherwise you will put me in trouble,” he suggested.
But Christina had another suggestion. “You should take me as your second wife. You can leave me at your home; I will live with your parents.”
“What do you think will happen if my wife hears this?” he chipped in angrily.
Christina feared her “Math Teacher” would tear her apart if she hears her husband was in love with a pupil.
“In that case, I will conceal the identity of a man behind my pregnancy. But, please, keep to your promise. If you don’t help me as you have promised, I will reveal.”
“Now you are talking like a grown-up woman,” complemented the Maths Teacher.
Although Christina is now living in a world of promises from her “Maths Teacher” her future is hazy. Rarely does the teacher visit her to provide her with the support she needs in raising up the baby boy born eight months at Kapopo Mhlanga village in the area of Traditional Authority M’mbelwa in Mzimba.
She is not even sure if she will return to school after weaning her child. Early pregnancy is just one of he many hurdles a girl child has to confront to attain quality basic education. Other challenges range from sexual, physical to verbal abuse.
Section 25 of the Constitution of the Republic of Malawi provides for education as a right for all. However, education is not just one of the human rights; it is indispensable for effective political participation and for enabling individuals to sustain themselves and is key to unlocking other human rights.
Some commentators have contended that education is associated with increased incomes, increased agricultural production, improved nutritional status as well as reduced fertility rates among women.
It increases women’s assertiveness as well as encourage their participation in political and economic activities of the societies in which they live.
However, according to the 2009 Education Report by the Action Aid International Malawi (AAIM), despite all efforts by government and the civil society organizations, Malawian children are still disadvantaged in many ways, especially as regards the attainment of quality basic education.
The report, “The Existence and Implementation of Laws, Polices, and Regulations in Education and how they affect the girl-child in Malawi ” indicates that many children are still out of school with a meagre 20 percent of those who enrol at standard one finish the primary cycle.
The situation is more pathetic for the girl child as statistics show that girls constitute a mere 39 percent of the children who proceed to the secondary school level.
Of those who go through tertiary education, only 28 percent of them are females, according to National Action Plan for the Promotion of Human Rights in Malawi [2004—2011].
AAIM reports that unfavourable school environments that reinforce low expectations from girls’ education, through non-provision of facilities required by girls such as sanitation facilities for adolescent girls, protection from abuse by peers, and/or teachers, infrastructure to address safety including well-lit roads and transport arrangements.
About 80 percent of the girls that responded to the questions from AAIM study indicated that they had suffered verbal, sexual or physical abuse mainly from older male pupils and teachers.
Further, the study revealed that most of the abuse, when it takes place, goes unreported because of lack of clear reporting systems and that there are inadequate measures for redress in respect of those cases that have been reported.
According to AAIM Thematic and Education Coordinator, Julie Juma, corporal punishments and public shaming, sexual harassment by teachers, comrades and adults on the way to and at school are some of the reasons why girls do not proceed with their education.
“It was also apparent from the study that the prevalence of abuse in schools which might account for a high drop out rate, confusion and low esteem leading to poor performance in school, feelings of guilt, unplanned pregnancies and high risk of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases among girls might be fuelled by a fluid or unclear legal framework pertaining to matters of education in the country,” said Julie Juma, Action Aid Thematic and Education Coordinator.
“Besides poverty continues to haunt a girl child as most are forced into transactional sex especially with older men who promise to provide them with some basic needs, which their parents failed to provide,” she added.
In 2007, 23 girls from Nyalubwe Primary School in Mchinji, in the area of Sub Traditional Authority Dambe, got pregnant and dropped out of school, reasons being that they were self-boarders who were taken advantage of by me who promised to support them whilst in school.
Juma explained that another obstacle for girls to achieve their basic ritgh to education is lack of female teachers and lack of gender awareness of teachers affect the environment within the classroom, reducing potential role models, and reinforcing the symbolic association of the school space with male authority.
It is only through quality education that Malawi will be able to develop because education is key to unlocking human potential and empowerment and it is, therefore, a prerequisite to achieving other basic rights.
It was on this account that Action Aid set out to identify the Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) as a strategic partner to undertake another study to examine the availability and implementation of laws, policies and regulations in the education sector.
Speaking at the launch of the study report on “The Existence and Implementation of Laws, Polices, and Regulations in Education and how they affect the girl-child in Malawi ”, MHRC executive secretary Dr. Aubrey Mvula expressed sadness over the absence of a policy on sexual harassment in the education sector.
Dr. Mvula said lack of written policy on sexual harassment was the most unfortunate thing is as far as achieving girls’ education is concerned.
He also bemoaned the disparities in infrastructural development between urban and rural schools.
“There is need to review and enforce polices on education infrastructural development so as to reduce these disparities so that rural areas, too, have facilities which are conducive to the girl child’s education thereby promoting the right of the girl to education,” emphasized Dr. Mvula.
The MHRC executive secretary further explained that education is a fundamental human right for all people and a precondition for facilitating the enjoyment of other human rights.
Unfortunately, even where infrastructural development is conducive to facilitate girls’ education, some teachers such as the ‘Maths Teacher’ do not see the see in giving Christina a chance for her to enjoy her right to education.
“But all is not lost. Christina can return to school after weaning her child,” advised Juma.
END
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