• About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Nigeria Grassroot News
Advertisement
  • Home
  • News
  • Tech
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Travel
    ‘One- chance’, torture, maim, sad realities of Lagos Commuters

    ‘One- chance’, torture, maim, sad realities of Lagos Commuters

    AAUA Students Raise Concern Over Toilets’ Condition, Call For Management’s Action

    AAUA Students Raise Concern Over Toilets’ Condition, Call For Management’s Action

    Brain Drain: Statistics Predict Scary Fate for Nigeria

    Brain Drain: Statistics Predict Scary Fate for Nigeria

    Effects of Period Poverty Among Secondary School Girls in Ondo State

    Effects of Period Poverty Among Secondary School Girls in Ondo State

    ‘Japa Nation’, Nigerians run away in drove, the appeal and the burden

    ‘Japa Nation’, Nigerians run away in drove, the appeal and the burden

    Lagos Smart City Project; A Mission  Impossible Without Quality Health Care System

    Lagos Smart City Project; A Mission  Impossible Without Quality Health Care System

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Game of Thrones
    • MotoGP 2017
    • eSports
    • Fashion Week
  • Hinterland News
  • Gender Inclusion
  • Review
    Elesin Oba: The Tragic Effect of British Imperialism on African Society

    Elesin Oba: The Tragic Effect of British Imperialism on African Society

    Fathers’  Day Celebration: Cut Our Dad’s Some Slack

    Fathers’ Day Celebration: Cut Our Dad’s Some Slack

  • Report Violence
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Tech
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Travel
    ‘One- chance’, torture, maim, sad realities of Lagos Commuters

    ‘One- chance’, torture, maim, sad realities of Lagos Commuters

    AAUA Students Raise Concern Over Toilets’ Condition, Call For Management’s Action

    AAUA Students Raise Concern Over Toilets’ Condition, Call For Management’s Action

    Brain Drain: Statistics Predict Scary Fate for Nigeria

    Brain Drain: Statistics Predict Scary Fate for Nigeria

    Effects of Period Poverty Among Secondary School Girls in Ondo State

    Effects of Period Poverty Among Secondary School Girls in Ondo State

    ‘Japa Nation’, Nigerians run away in drove, the appeal and the burden

    ‘Japa Nation’, Nigerians run away in drove, the appeal and the burden

    Lagos Smart City Project; A Mission  Impossible Without Quality Health Care System

    Lagos Smart City Project; A Mission  Impossible Without Quality Health Care System

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Game of Thrones
    • MotoGP 2017
    • eSports
    • Fashion Week
  • Hinterland News
  • Gender Inclusion
  • Review
    Elesin Oba: The Tragic Effect of British Imperialism on African Society

    Elesin Oba: The Tragic Effect of British Imperialism on African Society

    Fathers’  Day Celebration: Cut Our Dad’s Some Slack

    Fathers’ Day Celebration: Cut Our Dad’s Some Slack

  • Report Violence
No Result
View All Result
Nigeria Grassroot News
No Result
View All Result
Home Education

The Untold Narratives Of Teenage Pregnancy On School Dropout Among Secondary school Girls

nigeriagrasrootnews by nigeriagrasrootnews
September 15, 2022
in Education, Report Crisis, Uncategorized
2
The Untold Narratives Of Teenage Pregnancy  On School Dropout Among Secondary school  Girls
0
SHARES
265
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

By: Deborah Omoare

Inside a supermarket in the Oluyole local government area of Oyo State is  Kemi, a 17-year-old girl who was struggling to adjust the three-month-old baby on her back, this she was doing with a frowning face as anguish is boldly written all over her that she is indeed frustrated beyond description. 

The young mother, Kemi, outstretched her right hand to collect the milk she bought from a salesperson attending to her. Simultaneously, she was using her other hand trying to support the baby from falling due to the small wrapper strapped around the child.

The father of the newborn whom Kemi claimed works in Lagos has allegedly left her all alone to carry the burden of nursing the child, and ever since then, she relies on braiding people’s hair to make ends meet and to feed her baby. However, she also lives with her single mother, a petty trader that sells food alongside three of her siblings.

Teenage pregnancy, also referred to as adolescent pregnancy, has drastically increased in recent years in Nigeria to the extent that this social issue has stimulated into a precarious threat leading to stigma, rejection, or violence by partners, parents, and peers. It has also affected the health, active participation, and education of many girl-child in society. Adolescent pregnancy and childbearing often lead girls to drop out of school, although efforts are underway in some places to enable them to return to school after childbirth.

Adolescent pregnancy data from the world health organization revealed that nearly 12 million girls aged 15–19 years and at least 777,000 girls under 15 years give birth each year with at least 10 million unintended pregnancies occurring each year among adolescent girls aged 15–19 years in the developing world. 

Similarly, adolescent pregnancy and complications that arise during and during both pregnancy and childbirth have also led to the cause of death for 15–19-year-old girls globally. Of the estimated 5.6 million abortions that occur each year among adolescent girls, 3.9 million of them are unsafe, contributing to maternal mortality, morbidity, and lasting health problems in society. 

In Nigeria, 1 out of 5 teenage women from age 15-19 are already mothers or pregnant with their first child. According to the state, Lagos which has 1 percent of teenage girls who have begun childbearing, has the lowest percentage, unlike Bauchi in northeastern Nigeria which has 41 percent. Forty-four percent of teenage women with no education have begun childbearing, compared to 1 percent of teenage women with more than secondary education.

Many girls who are pregnant were utterly unprepared for the circumstances in which they unknowingly or unintentionally found themselves. In many societies, teenage pregnancies are stigmatized, and most of them are pressured or forced to drop out of school, which consequently wrecks their educational chances. 

For Kemi, her case was not different as she revealed that she dropped out of school last year in SS 2 because of the stigma from people and her peers in school. 

“When I discovered that I was pregnant, which I never planned for, I didn’t want to stop schooling, so I took injections twice to abort the fetus but they did not work. The person that injected me the first time even told me that in 30 seconds, the fetus will be flushed out but all proved abortive, she went further to tell me to take alcohol but it did not work. I had no option other than to keep the baby and eventually gave birth to a girl in May”, she recounted. 

The Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey in a study confirmed that 33 percent of women aged 15-49 in Nigeria have no education, compared to 22 percent of men aged 15-49. However, 14 percent of women and 13 percent of men have attended primary school. 

Also, 4 out of 10 women and 48 percent of men have attended secondary school. Only 11 percent of women and 17 percent of men have more than secondary education. 47 percent of women and 28 percent of men are illiterate.

This infers a greater percentage of literate males than females in the 15–49 age bracket. However, the notion that girls should be responsible for preventing pregnancy and that it is their fault if they become pregnant is still widely held.

What The Law Says About Child Pregnancy 

The Nigeria Child’s Right Act 2003 recognizes the right of a child to free, compulsory, and universal basic education. Section 15, subsection 5 made provision for a female child who becomes pregnant before completing her education. Such a female child is granted an opportunity after delivery to continue with her education.

The Health Implications…

A nutritionist who works with the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Goodness Chidi disclosed that teenagers are at a greater risk for pregnancy-related high blood pressure and its complications. 

She noted that teens are at higher risk of having low-birth-weight babies, below 2.5 KG and it becomes a struggle for such babies to survive early in life.

“There is an issue of high blood pressure, which is called preeclampsia which comes before or during delivery and the girl can pass on as a result of complications during delivery. 

“This happens mostly to adolescent girls who do not have access to adequate nutrition, when the calcium store is depleted, the iron is depleted. Imagine when iron and calcium are needed for the fetus to survive and the girl does not have enough not to talk of supplying to the child inside her womb. It could also lead to anemia, where the girl does not have adequate nutrients in her body”, she added.

A nurse midwife at the University College Hospital Ibadan, UCH Mrs. Titilayo Abiola, said one of the health hazards of the teenage mother is that it will affect the whole body psychologically, physically, and socially.

“Healthwise, the pregnancy will affect the girl because her body is not properly developed. When someone is pregnant, it will affect all the systems and the body might not be able to cope. Psychologically too, she will be thinking if she will survive it and thinking if she will continue with her folks.

These are issues, and In most cases, if the girl is fortunate to have good parents, they can take care of her and she will be able to go back to school but, unfortunately, most of them opt out of school after pregnancy, ” she asserted.

The nurse added that one of the health risks of teenage pregnancy is also vesico vaginal fistula which is an abnormal opening between the vagina and urinary bladder. 

“The result is that urine leaks out of the vagina, whenever she is sitting down, or going about, urine will be dropping out through the vagina. Then she will be stinking and smelling. At times, it may be between the vagina and the rectum that has to do with feces. If you move closer to that person, you will be perceiving a kind of odor of urine or feces. The only way to repair this opening is through surgery, which is a problem that needs money”, she said. 

Causes of Teenage Pregnancy

The midwife, Mrs. Abiola stresses that the lack of parental care and poverty are the major causes of teenage pregnancy in Nigeria. 

“In some homes,  when the father wakes up, he goes on his way, the mother will go her way and there is nobody to look after the children. They won’t even bother to know what their children are eating, or what they are doing after they have left home. So, they just let them be and leave them on their own.”

“There was an incident recently of a girl who has lost her mother and it was the father that was taking care of her and her three siblings.

So this girl needed about 1,500 to buy brassier and the boyfriend said he cannot give her unless he have sex with her, which he did but unfortunately, the money was not given to the girl and the girl got pregnant but thank God she was able to make it because it affected her health. She delivered through the Caesarean Section.” She recounted. 

For a solution, the nurse emphasized that children should be taught about sex education by their parents at home.

“It is as if we see it as a taboo to be discussing sex education with our children. Once they are of age, these are things we should start telling them; these are things you should do, these are the things you should not do.

Let them know about sex not that you will be hiding things from them. Let’s tell them, ‘you are not yet ready for this thing so don’t go this way, don’t go that way’. We should let them know and make such discourse interacting with them. It will make them always confide in us, this way, they will be able to tell us anything and they will even ask questions. 

“There are some parents when their children ask about anything, they will tell them to keep their mouths shut. What do you know about that? And the girl or boy may not even ask about such a thing again so she will now learn from outside or from the peer group which should not be so. “Abiola added. 

Tags: How to address school dropout challenges in NigeriaImpact of teenage pregnancy on school dropout in Nigerian secondaty school girlsWhy School dropout numbers are increasing in Nigeria
Previous Post

SPECIAL REPORT: Inside Kwara Communities Where Open Defecation Is Becoming an Emerging Threat to Human Health

Next Post

Apete Ibadan, Over 60% Homes Now Put Àkókò Leaf On Their Entrance Over Rumoured Demon

nigeriagrasrootnews

nigeriagrasrootnews

Next Post
Apete Ibadan, Over 60% Homes  Now Put Àkókò Leaf On Their Entrance Over Rumoured Demon

Apete Ibadan, Over 60% Homes Now Put Àkókò Leaf On Their Entrance Over Rumoured Demon

Comments 2

  1. Olukayode says:
    5 months ago

    This is great

    Reply
  2. Bukunmi says:
    5 months ago

    Teenage pregnancy is a disheartening issue, and worse still, allowing such to be an excuse to discontinue their education.
    Your write-up is well-detailed and succinct.
    Well done.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Stay Connected test

  • 121 Followers
  • 23.7k Followers
  • 99 Subscribers
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
UNDERCOVER: Government Policies Of  Indiscriminate Waste Disposal Endangers Lives In Kwara State

UNDERCOVER: Government Policies Of  Indiscriminate Waste Disposal Endangers Lives In Kwara State

August 14, 2022
Special Report:  Everyday Hazard, Low Financial Support and Self-Medication: Plights of Women in Oyo Garri Producing Community

Special Report:  Everyday Hazard, Low Financial Support and Self-Medication: Plights of Women in Oyo Garri Producing Community

September 20, 2022
The Untold Narratives Of Teenage Pregnancy  On School Dropout Among Secondary school  Girls

The Untold Narratives Of Teenage Pregnancy On School Dropout Among Secondary school Girls

September 15, 2022
Press Week: AAUA NAMACOS Observes Public Lecture/ Symposium

Press Week: AAUA NAMACOS Observes Public Lecture/ Symposium

December 9, 2022
How Poor Road Condition In Port Harcourt Affects Nursing Mothers, Pregnant Women On Daily Basis

How Poor Road Condition In Port Harcourt Affects Nursing Mothers, Pregnant Women On Daily Basis

7
Nigeria Grassroot News is hiring

Nigeria Grassroot News is hiring

6
Celebrity Marriage: The Untold Tale of a Double-Edged Sword

Celebrity Marriage: The Untold Tale of a Double-Edged Sword

4
Health Implications Of Magnesium To Our Body System.

Health Implications Of Magnesium To Our Body System.

2
How Young Nigerian Entrepreneur is Making Money From Google Internet Marketing

How Young Nigerian Entrepreneur is Making Money From Google Internet Marketing

February 2, 2023
Inside Akungba: Irony Of Stable Electricity When AAUA Students Are On Break

Inside Akungba: Irony Of Stable Electricity When AAUA Students Are On Break

February 2, 2023
Ikeja and entire Lagos commercial banks’ customers groan under…

Ikeja and entire Lagos commercial banks’ customers groan under…

January 29, 2023
The Effects of 86FB Ponzi scheme on Nigeria Students

The Effects of 86FB Ponzi scheme on Nigeria Students

January 10, 2023

Recent News

How Young Nigerian Entrepreneur is Making Money From Google Internet Marketing

How Young Nigerian Entrepreneur is Making Money From Google Internet Marketing

February 2, 2023
Inside Akungba: Irony Of Stable Electricity When AAUA Students Are On Break

Inside Akungba: Irony Of Stable Electricity When AAUA Students Are On Break

February 2, 2023
Ikeja and entire Lagos commercial banks’ customers groan under…

Ikeja and entire Lagos commercial banks’ customers groan under…

January 29, 2023
The Effects of 86FB Ponzi scheme on Nigeria Students

The Effects of 86FB Ponzi scheme on Nigeria Students

January 10, 2023
Nigeria Grassroot News

Nigeria Grassroot News bring you authoritative and premium Grassroot news across Nigeria.

Follow Us

Browse by Category

  • Apps
  • Basic education
  • Business
  • Central Bank of Nigeria and the New naira notes challenges
  • Child Marriage issues in Nigeria
  • Climate Change and Flood
  • Community News
  • Disability Acts in Nigeria
  • Disability and Inclusion
  • Education
  • Election and Disability Rights in Nigeria
  • Election in Nigeria
  • Entertainment
  • Environment
  • Exclusive report
  • Fashion
  • Financial intelligence
  • Food
  • Fraudulent money making scheme
  • Gadget
  • Gaming
  • Gender Inclusion
  • Health
  • Hinterland News
  • Infrastructural development
  • Lifestyle
  • Media Capacity development
  • Media Skill Developmet
  • Migration issues and challenges
  • Mobile
  • Money ,matter
  • Movie
  • News
  • Nigeria's politics
  • Opinion/ViewPoint
  • Politics
  • Ponzi schemes in Nigeria
  • Report Crisis
  • Report Violence
  • Review
  • Rural electrification
  • Science
  • Security and safety
  • Special report
  • Sport
  • Sport Management In Nigeria
  • Sports
  • Startup
  • Tech
  • Transportation
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Under Cover
  • Water project in rural areas
  • Women Empowerment Policy in Nigeria
  • World

Recent News

How Young Nigerian Entrepreneur is Making Money From Google Internet Marketing

How Young Nigerian Entrepreneur is Making Money From Google Internet Marketing

February 2, 2023
Inside Akungba: Irony Of Stable Electricity When AAUA Students Are On Break

Inside Akungba: Irony Of Stable Electricity When AAUA Students Are On Break

February 2, 2023
  • Home
  • News
  • Tech
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Hinterland News
  • Gender Inclusion
  • Review
  • Report Violence

All Rights Reserved © 2022 Nigeria Grassroot News

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Tech
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Hinterland News
  • Gender Inclusion
  • Review
  • Report Violence

All Rights Reserved © 2022 Nigeria Grassroot News