By CLOZZEN BIKALE
Kyafukuma Day Secondary in Solwezi has recorded 22 cases of teen pregnancy this year.
School Headteacher, Willy Chinofya says the high number of girls dropping out from school due to pregnancies is worrying.
Mr Chinofya said the school has recorded 22 girls who fell pregnant, from January to November this year.
He said the girl children are vulnerable because there is no boarding and children coming from distant villages end up renting houses in nearby villages where they are abused.
“The problem is that these girls are renting houses in villages that are near the school without any one to look after them. They are all by themselves without a parent or guardian, that is how they fall pregnant from unscrupulous men”, he said.
Mr Chinofya has appealed to Government to consider upgrading the school to a boarding school in order to save the girl children from teenage pregnancies.
He told Solwezi central Member of Parliament, Stafford Mulusa that once the school becomes a boarding school there will be less cases of girls falling pregnant because teachers will be able to monitor the girls.
Mr Chinofya also said the school has 13 teachers but the houses they are living in are in deplorable state.
He said many teachers from Solwezi town are interested to teach at Kyafukuma but housing for teachers is a problem coupled with bad road network.
And Mr Mulusa said he will engage the Provincial Education officer over the matter.
The Member of Parliament said Solwezi Municipal Council just acquired a new bulldozer and will soon start working on roads even those in peri-urban areas.
Mr Mulusa said the Government is committed to bringing the long awaited change.
Kyafukuma secondary school which was upgraded in 2016 runs from grade eight to twelve and has one hundred, sixty pupils.
This came to light when Mr Mulusa visited the school on Sunday.
