Abstract
The aim of this paper is to point out the need for a model to facilitate health for pregnant learners attending secondary schools in South Africa. It motivates this need by presenting the findings of a study on the exploration and description of the experiences of pregnant learners attending secondary schools in Limpopo province of South Africa.A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual design was used to explore experiences of pregnant learners who attended secondary schools in Limpopo province. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with learners who were pregnant or were at some stage pregnant while attending secondary schools. A purposive sampling was used to select participants and due to data saturation ten learners participated. Data analysis generated six themes and eleven categories. The themes are (1) identification of pregnant learners, (2) continuation of pregnant learners' school career, (3) dilemmas related to school-attending pregnant learners, (4) support of school-attending pregnant learners, (5) gender in pregnancy caretaking and (6) communication and cooperation between teachers and parents. Pregnant learners revealed themselves while others were identified by their parents and teachers as they attempted to hide their pregnancies. Some pregnant learners continued attending school even when they faced challenges while others dropped out. Pregnant learnersreceived support from teachers and parentsbut in some cases that vital cooperation between parents and teachers was lacking. It can be concluded that pregnant learners facedhealth related challenges to continue attending school which requires a health facilitation model to enable pregnant learners to benefit from schooling and have positive health outcomes. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n25p83
Highlights
There is an increased visibility of pregnant learners at secondary schools in South Africa these days and most of them are still teenagers (James, van Rooyen andvan Der Strumpher, 2011; Runhare andVandeyar, 2011; Maholo, Maja and Wright, 2009; Panday, Makiwane, Ranchod and Letsoalo, 2009)
Compared to other provinces in South Africa, Limpopo had the highest number of pregnant learners in 2011 (Department of Basic Education, 2012; Department of Basic Education, 2011)
Some pregnant learners told their parents and teachers about their pregnancies while others chose to be secretive about it.One learner approached her class teacher and told her that she was pregnant as shown by this quote: “I told my class teacher before she could see me”
Summary
There is an increased visibility of pregnant learners at secondary schools in South Africa these days and most of them are still teenagers (James, van Rooyen andvan Der Strumpher, 2011; Runhare andVandeyar, 2011; Maholo, Maja and Wright, 2009; Panday, Makiwane, Ranchod and Letsoalo, 2009). Unlike in the past when pregnant learners were expelled from schools, these days the Department of Basic Education encourages them to continue attending and forbids school governing bodies from expelling these learners so that they are not further disadvantaged by lack of education (Department of Education, 2007; Bhana, Morrell, Shefer and Ngabaza, 2010). This leads to a disturbing presence of pregnant learners at secondary school premises as secondary schools cannot adequately provide for their health needs. Van Aswagen and Mokwena (2010) point out that school health services programme in South Africa is facing many challenges and has collapsed in many provinces leaving schools without the ability to provide even the basic health services to learners
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