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Schools’ Welfare Department help teenage moms get jobs, return to school
Some of the craft done by teenage moms, on display during a recent exhibition hosted by the Schools’ Welfare Department.
The Schools’ Welfare Department has recently hosted a mini-exhibition to promote the work of a few teenage mothers under its supervision.
According to Acting Chief Schools’ Welfare Officer, Carol Melville, the one-day exhibition aimed to showcase the creativity and talents of the girls, raise their self-esteem, instill in them a sense of accomplishment and self-worth and provide them an avenue to earn an income.
Some of the exhibits displayed were place mats, napkins, cushions, baby comforters, soft toys, pillow slips and various leather craft items.
Melville pointed out that of the 17 participants who took part in the exhibition, five were reintegrated into the formal school system; two are being trained in leather craft production and through the networking system of her department while four have secured employment.
She noted that her department continues to counsel and open-up new opportunities for the participants to ensure that they lead a disciplined and productive life.
Earlier in the year, five students who became pregnant while in school have been reintegrated into the school system. Four of the girls have been placed at secondary schools within the city and the parents for the other have opted to send her to a private school on the East Coast of Demerara.
Melville pointed out that the young mothers came to the attention of the Schools’ Welfare Department following her officers outreach visits to health clinics, schools and communities.
The Acting Chief Schools’ Welfare Officer said that the teenage mothers are undergoing educational sessions in several areas including building self-esteem, parenting and child care and stress and anger management, all designed to empower and help them to cope with their new role.
These efforts, she said, are focused on helping the young mothers to adjust to their new role as parents; be able to complete secondary school; further their education and become meaningful contributors to society.
The Ministry of Education has recognized the drastic changes in people’s lifestyles over the past three decades and the programme to re-integrate teenage mothers in school is one of the measures it has taken to ensure a progressive society for the vulnerable.
The Ministry has stressed that it views education as a fundamental human right and stands firmly by the position that a 14-year-old who has become pregnant while still in school has not lost that right. The programme to reintegrate teenage mothers in schools is also part of the ministry’s wider policy of education access for all.
Headteachers have been encouraged to develop a sense of appreciation for teenage parents as some are victims of broken homes and other varying unfortunate circumstances.
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