The challenges faced by teenage mothers when balancing their child rearing responsibilities with academic excellence in three secondary schools in Inanda.

Abstract

The focus ofthe study is on the provision ofequitable education to girls who leave school due to their pregnancy related predicaments. The study explores the challenges faced by these young women in schools. The study was conducted in an informal settlement on the outskirts of eThekwini. Through the employment ofqualitative methods, using semi structured interviews and open-ended questionnaires I was able to show that in a country which ensures access and success ofevery child to education without learners being unfairly discriminated in any way, teenage-mothers face hardships in balancing their educational needs and social responsibilities. Through a series ofinterviews the study draws attention to some ofthe challenges facing the education of female learners who have children while at school and endeavoured to uncover the ways in which schools respond to the needs ofthese teenage-mothers. The findings ofthe study outlined the challenges faced by teenage mothers in schools and the role played by the school. The study concluded with the implication and recommendations for all stakeholders involved in the education process.