South Africa has made significant strides in
enrolling girls in school, particularly at the
basic education level, with high gender parity
indexes (GPI) at the primary school level. However,
the high attrition rate at the secondary level
and the poor quality of educational experiences
and learning opportunities, for girls in particular,
remain areas of concern. Studies have found
that of the children who enroll in grade 1, only
50 percent make it to grade 12 with the majority
of these children dropping out at the secondary
school level (Gustaffson 2011; Spaull 2013).
Research and policy discourses in South Africa
often explain the high rates of dropout among
high school youth as a function of poverty and
poor quality of teaching. These explanations
often fail to consider sexual and reproductive
health (SRH) as another important factor in adolescent
girls dropping out. SRH is commonly defined
as the ability to enjoy a satisfying and safe
sex life and the capability to bear children and
the freedom to decide if, when and how often to
do so. The dominant explanations often fail to
consider the ways in which socio-cultural norms
that subordinate girls negatively affect their
SRH and, in turn, influence their persistence in
and completion of secondary education.