By JULIET MAKWAMA
THE Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC) has suggested that the re-entry policy be embedded in the teacher training curriculum to enhance its implementation which has been characterised by challenges since its inception in 1991, compromising equality in education.
In 1997, Zambia introduced the re-entry policy for learners who fall pregnant to go back to school after delivery but implementation has faced a number of challenges, including school administrators not understanding their role, despite schools being integral in the implementation of the policy.
ZANEC Executive Director George Hamusunga has noted that since the introduction of the policy, there is no year where the country managed to re-enter more than 50 percent of the girls who fell pregnant in that year.
Mr Hamusunga says teachers and school administrators need capacity building through the training curriculum because implementation of the re-entry policy is done at school level.
Mr Hamusunga says girls caught up in pregnancy need social counselling from the onset, and school authorities are key to help girls deal with the trauma that comes with the rejection they face in society, which affects their chances of returning to school.
He says including the re-entry policy will help address the implementation challenges and ensure schools provide the affected girls with a supportive and conducive learning environment.
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