TEARS AND RESOLVE IN PARLIAMENT: MPS Back Call To Revise Teenage Pregnancy Guidelines

IThe Parliament of Uganda yesterday hosted a moving orientation meeting where adolescent mothers and fathers shared personal testimonies that left many lawmakers visibly shaken. The meeting, convened by the Uganda Parliamentary Forum to End Child Marriage and Teenage Pregnancy (UPFCT) in collaboration with Network for Community Development (NCD), Youth Chaperon Uganda (YC), and Women Rural Development Network (WORUDET) under the SHE SOARS project, brought together 20 Members of Parliament, civil society, and young people from across the country.

Adolescent girls from Eastern, Central, and Northern Uganda spoke candidly about the daily struggles of combining motherhood with education. One girl explained how she leaves class to breastfeed her child, only to return and find she has fallen behind.

Others recalled being expelled and never returning to school, surviving only through skilling support from civil society. A teenage father described the immense pressure of supporting a child after dropping out of school himself. “It is hard to raise money for food, clothing, or school needs. I want to study, but I also have to provide. We need government to support skilling so we can stand on our feet,” he said.

Lawmakers, deeply moved by the stories, expressed unanimous support for a pending Motion to revise Uganda’s 2020 Guidelines on the Prevention and Management of Teenage Pregnancy in Schools. They highlighted the flaws in the current guidelines — including mandatory pregnancy testing without consent, one-year forced maternity leave, and lack of penalties for schools that deny re-entry.

Hon. Ronald Afidra Olema (Lower Madi County), Chairperson of UPFCT, said: “The Constitution guarantees every child the right to education. We cannot allow guidelines that stigmatize and expel learners. Parliament must act.” Hon. Ronald Afidra Olema (Lower Madi County), Chairperson of UPFCT,(middle)

Hon. Margaret Rwebyambu (Mbarara Woman MP), who revealed that her own daughter conceived while in school but was allowed to continue and is now a nurse, urged colleagues to act with urgency. “If re-entry worked for my daughter, it can work for thousands. Pregnancy should not mean the end of education,” she said.

Hon. Margaret Rwebyambu (Mbarara Woman MP) Hon. Dr. George Didi Bhoka (Obongi County) linked the issue to national priorities: “Uganda cannot achieve Vision 2040 if teenage mothers are left behind. Every girl in school strengthens the nation.”

The meeting coincided with breaking news from Mukono District where a 16-year- old Senior Four candidate from Dynamic Secondary School, Sonde, was expelled after becoming pregnant due to sexual assault. Despite being weeks away from sitting her UCE exams, she was forced out.

“This practice is discriminatory and unconstitutional,” said Daniel Twesige, Executive Secretary of UPFCT. “We have petitioned the Equal Opportunities Commission to challenge the expulsion. No girl should be punished twice — first by assault, then by denial of education.”

Daniel Twesige, Executive Secretary of UPFCT while making his presentation. Participants called for the guidelines to be elevated into binding policy, with clear safeguards for dignity, privacy, re-entry, and psychosocial support. They also urged the Ministry of Education and Sports to establish breastfeeding spaces, enforce penalties against non-compliant schools, and scale up community sensitization to reduce stigma.

The Motion will be tabled when Parliament reconvenes. Until then, advocates pledged to continue mobilizing public support, including through a new campaign under the hashtag #EducateTeenMothersUG.