Assessment of the Factors Contributing to Early Pregnancy in Public Secondary Schools in Arusha City, Tanzania.

Kiwelu, Suzan Estomihi (2024) Assessment of the Factors Contributing to Early Pregnancy in Public Secondary Schools in Arusha City, Tanzania. Masters thesis, The Open University of Tanzania.

PDF - Submitted Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution No Derivatives. Download (1MB)

Abstract

This study investigated the factors contributing to early pregnancy in public secondary schools in Arusha City, Tanzania. The study was guided by three objectives which were: to explore the factors contributing to early pregnancy to girl students in secondary schools in Arusha city, determine the effect of early pregnancy to girls on the academic performance and examine the strategies for curbing early pregnancies among the secondary school girls in Arusha City. The study employed Qualitative methodology approach. Methods of data collection were semi-structured interview, focused group discussions, documentary review and questionnaire instruments. The respondents were 5 heads of school, 30 teachers and 65 students thus making a total number of one hundred participants. The findings revealed that the factors contributing to early pregnancy were customs and traditions, low socioeconomic status and peer pressure and social abuses. Also, The findings revealed that drop out, late completion education, death, economic dependency, lower educating a were the effects of early pregnancy to secondary school girls on academic performance other effects increase number of street children and, stigma hence failure to go back to school, increase of child labour and hence this situation becoming a burden to the government due to early pregnancy of girls in secondary schools in Arusha City. Moreover, the study recommends that, it is very important to employ strategies to reduce early pregnancy among the public secondary school students in Arusha city to educate girls through peer clubs to abstain from sex, teach the adolescent girls‟ health reproductive education and To help girls to see sexuality as a natural and positive part of life .Therefore the findings evident that teachers and students have understanding on the factors contributing to early pregnancy to secondary school students, the effects of early pregnancy to students in public secondary schools on the academic performance and strategies to reduce early pregnancy among the public secondary schools .All these are complex and need cooperative efforts to reduce early pregnancy. Keywords: Early pregnancy, Adolescence, Reproductive health education and sex education.

Actions (login required)

View Item