As the school year begins, classrooms are filling up again. For many families, back-to-school season brings a sense of momentum — a return to learning, routine and possibility. But for millions of adolescent girls, the promise of education is frustratingly out of reach.
Across the continent, adolescent pregnancy remains widespread. Around one in four young women in Eastern and Southern Africa gives birth before the age of 19, and more than six-million pregnant and parenting girls across sub-Saharan Africa are out of school or formal learning. Too many adolescent mothers never return after childbirth — not because they lack ambition or ability, but because systems are still not designed to accommodate adolescent motherhood or support alternative pathways for young mothers to continue learning.
Preventing early and unintended pregnancy remains a central development, health and rights priority. No girl should become pregnant in adolescence because of gaps in access to information, services or protection. But when prevention fails, exclusion from education must not be the consequence.
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One of the most effective ways to improve outcomes for both young women and their children is to keep adolescent mothers learning. That means — alongside strong prevention measures — supporting them to complete secondary education or acquire equivalent vocational skills. When adolescent mothers remain engaged in education or training, they are more likely to access decent work, experience better health and wellbeing and build economic security.
Their children, in turn, are more likely to survive infancy, grow and develop well and succeed in school. Adolescent motherhood rarely exists in isolation. Evidence shows that adolescent mothers face overlapping risks, including violence, poor mental health, repeat pregnancy, and heightened vulnerability to HIV.
Disengagement from learning is rarely a single event. It is the cumulative outcome of systems that fail to respond when girls are most in need. This issue extends far beyond individual girls: it shapes whether countries invest in cycles of opportunity or allow cycles of disadvantage to persist.
There has been progress. Governments across the region recognise that pregnancy should not mark the end of a girl’s education. Our new analysis found that about half of the countries in Eastern and Southern Africa now have a school re-entry policy for pregnant and parenting adolescents.
This momentum reflects broader continental commitments, including from the African Union. Yet, recognition on paper has not translated into consistent practice. This new review highlights a persistent implementation gap.
Even where re-entry policies exist, many are not backed by dedicated budgets, clear operational guidance, or systematic training for school leaders and teachers. Flexible options — such as accelerated learning, distance education, evening classes, or vocational pathways — remain limited or poorly communicated.
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