Pregnant girls get help with lessons

Press, 5 July 1978, Page 1

Pregnant girls get help with lessons

PA Wellington The 500 pregnant schoolgirls enrolled by the Correspondence School last year represented only a small percentage of such girls, said a Correspondence School tutor yesterday. The 500 ranged in age from 13 to 19 and lived throughout New Zealand, said Mrs Jan Jackson. Pregnant secondary schoolgirls try'ng to complete their education through correspondence needed the full support of the community, she said. The school would like to reach such girls who were unaware of the service available to them, said Mrs Jackson.

It wanted at the same time to remind the community—the helping agencies, the medical services,

and the schools —that such girls required practical help if they were to complete their education. Mrs Jackson emphasised that many such correspondence pupils were managing very well and had support from their parents. However, the whole family needed support at that time. At a young age the girl was faced with the difficult decision of whether to adopt or keep her baby, Mrs Jackson s”.id. While most coped well with the problem of pregnancy, there were others at risk of abandoning education because of the lack of access to help services available. Mrs Jackson said the number of pregnant schoolgirls using correspondence had increased in the last two years.

She was uncertain of the number who returned to school after placing their babies for adoption. “Unfortunately, many of those who keep their babies in the 13 to 16 age group do not continue their education,” Mrs Jackson said. Some expressed their worries in letters to the school. “They obviously need more access to counselling services; more information about financial help and child-care services,” she said. While not wishing to dictate to the already overworked community organisations, the girls needed all possible help. The last examination figures available for pregnant correspondence pupils showed a 61 per cent pass rate in one or more School Certificate subjects.