Mahikeng Ministers Fellowship (MMF) on Monday expressed shock and called for united action to stem the tide of teenage pregancies.
This follows a report that over around 21,000 schoolgirls, including 717 still in primary school, fell pregnant in the 2013/14 financial year.
“The partnership between government,business,private sector,non-government organisations,civic organisations and faith-based organisations needs to be strengthened to respond to this societal challenge,”Chairperson of MMF(an interdenonimational pastors fellowship),Apostle Zandisile Reginald Mpame said.
Apostle Mpame said that the abstenance message needs to be urgently amplified among young people.
“Life orientation,sexual education and programmes that support orphans and child headed households need to be intensified and their effectiveness and responsiveness to this national crisis evaluated, “Mpame highlighted.
He pledged the support of churches in tackling fornication,the sugar-daddy syndrome, alcohol and substance abuse which contribute to teenage pregnacy and the spread of Sexually Transmitted illnesses and HIV.
MMF supports the campaign launched by North West MEC for Health, Dr.Magome Masike to raise awareness against teenage pregnacy and removal of pamphlets promoting bogus doctors that wish to lure young girls to perform illegal abortions.
According to a written reply in Parliament from the basic education ministry in response to questions asked by the Democratic Alliance.
The most pregnancies were in Gauteng (5273) and the Eastern Cape (4130). North West had the least (292).
The Eastern Cape had the most primary school pregnancies (232) and Gauteng the most high school pregnancies (5209).
Provincial figures are: (with primary school pregnancies first): Gauteng: 64, 5209; Eastern Cape: 232, 3898; Mpumalanga: 130, 3196; KwaZulu-Natal: 84, 2993; Western Cape: 83, 2433; Limpopo: 32, 1009; Free State: 13, 325; North West: 14, 278; Northern Cape: 65, 775.
The number of pupils who returned to school was not available.
-TDN
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