Tanzania allows students to go to school after giving birth | Academic Issues

The government will change the controversial principles of 2017 set by the late President John Magufuli.

The Tanzanian government has said it will allow young women to continue their education after childbirth, overcoming an issue that has been widely criticized by former president John Magufuli.

Human rights activists have accused Tanzania of racism after Magufuli in 2017 approved the expulsion of pregnant girls from public schools and barred them from returning to class after giving birth – a practice that began in 1961.

Following Magufuli’s death earlier this year, his successor, Samia Suluhu Hassan, wants to relinquish some of his credentials. On Wednesday, Education Minister Joyce Ndalichako said “pregnant schoolgirls are allowed to continue their education after giving birth”.

“I will issue a roundabout today. There is no time to wait, “he said during a ceremony in Dodoma.

Magufuli promised that no pregnant student would complete her education under her supervision, saying it was immoral for young girls to have sex.

“I offer to pay for my tuition. Then, she gets pregnant, gives birth, and later, she goes back to school. No, not under my responsibility, “he said in mid-2017.

The election was widely criticized by human rights groups and international aid agencies, which cut off their investment in the country in line with Magufuli’s policies.

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report alleging that school authorities in Tanzania were testing students with the aim of expelling pregnant students, depriving them of their right to education.

The World Bank has suspended a $ 300m loan for educating girls against the ban. According to the agency, more than 120,000 girls drop out of school each year in Tanzania, 6,500 of whom became pregnant or had children.

“This key idea underscores the country’s commitment to helping girls and girls and enhance their access to quality education,” the World Bank said in a statement Wednesday.

Sweden, which cut its deficit in Tanzania last year on the issue of limited freedom, praised this.

“It is a welcome phase for many girls, allowing them to open up as much as they can,” the Swedish ambassador to Dar es Salaam tweeted.

The opposition Alliance for Change and Transparency (ACT Foreigners) has said its pressure to change the policy has been successful.

“We did it! A clear example of one struggle, many aspects. “Everyone involved has taken steps to make it happen,” said ACT Patriots Zitto Kabwe.

Magufuli, a skeptic of COVID, died of a heart attack on March 17 after a mysterious disappearance for three weeks. His political opponents claimed he had coronavirus.

A few weeks after taking the oath of office, Hassan’s successor joined forces with Tanzanian political opponents, pledging to protect democracy and the right to freedom, and to reopen banned publications.

But Hassan’s hopes for a new era have been daunting, with the arrest of an opposition leader on terrorism charges and the crackdown on independent newspapers.