This case study of two government secondary schools presents evidence on
the factors that support implementation of the 1997 Government of the
Republic of Zambia Re-entry Policy.
Visitors to Mcenga* Secondary School’s grade 12 class may be surprised by
the fact that many female learners are poised to complete their secondary
education upon returning to school after maternity leave; a few even after
being away for prolonged periods or marriage. Recently, one returning girl
completed grade 12 at the top of her class. Some of the teachers
themselves took maternity leave at Mcenga Secondary School, completed
university, and returned in a new capacity: as teachers and role models for
other young girls. Such stories are rare in Zambia where many girls
permanently drop out of school due to pregnancy. Mcenga Secondary
School, however, is a place where most girls reenter school after pregnancy
and complete grade 12.
For many years Zambian girls were obliged to leave school permanently if
they became pregnant. In 1997, the Government of the Republic of Zambia
introduced the Re-entry Policy that requires all schools to grant girls
maternity leave and readmit them to facilitate girls’ education. Research on
the policy’s implementation and impact is scarce. One of the few studies of
the policy found that, nationally, secondary school reentry rates among
girls who became pregnant decreased from 79 percent in 2002 to 65
percent in 2008, where they remained until 2014 (Ministry of Education,
Science, Vocational Training and Early Education (MESVTEE) 2002-2014).