Of recent, the country has recorded high number of unexpected pregnancies among the teenage girls.
Some quarters are attributing the development to the closure of schools amid COVID-19 pandemic while others say parents are failing to discharge their parental duty.
For example, in Mangochi district over 5000 school going girls are pregnant. In Nkhotakota district, early pregnancies are also on the rise during the period.
Malawi Muslim Website conducted a snap survey in Nkhotakota district to seek views from the people on the cause of the rampage.
While others say closure of schools is the factor to the situation others say parents are failing their duty to safeguard their children.
Mr Topson Chunga from Nkhotakota district told Malawi Muslim Muslim Website that children stay more hours in their homes than in schools.
Chunga says the situation may act as a scapegoat for parents to give excuse for their failure to do their parental work.
“Of course, some may say closure of schools is the leading factor but I think as parents, we are failing to take care of our children. Children in primary schools only spend less than 8 hours in schools,”
“We, as parents must step up to make sure that our children are busy in our homes. We can be reminding them to read their books everyday to keep them busy,” he says.
In rural areas of Nkhotakota district, early marriages are on the rise. Most teenage girls fail to complete primary and secondary education making them less productive to the social economic growth of the country.
Meanwhile, Government says it will not bow down to pressure from some quarters to reopen schools unless the COVID-19 situation improves for the safety of people.
Minister of Health Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda together with Minister of Gender, Community Development and Children Affairs Patricia Kaliati were responding to a report by World Vision International which has forecast a rise in cases of early marriages and teenage pregnancies in the final months of the year if schools remain closed.
