Case study of the out of school Teenage Mothers lived experiences and perceptions on education in Rusororo sector, Rwanda: A back to school framework

Abstract

This study purposed to investigate the lived experiences of out of school teenage mothers during pregnancy, and post-delivery in Rusororo Sector, Gasabo district, Kigali City. It is a qualitative study that used case study design to investigate the school teenage mothers (participants) on their perceived school experience with fellow students, teachers and school leaders, study courses, and parents; the psychological and socio economic effects, and their future education perceptions. Purposive sampling was used to select the sample size participants and the area of study. Convenience sampling and snowball sampling were used to reach the available participants. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. Thus, using interviews, data was collected through note taking and voice/audio-recording. In data analysis, data was analyzed through manual comparative and thematic analyses. Results showed that teenage mothers view of further education is attainable through vocational training; pregnancy had psychological effects of depression, loneliness, self-denial on them; pregnancy had social effects of parental denial and expulsion and economic effects of hard living and doing manual work for survival; its educational effects include dropout and study retardation; teenage mothers lived a sorrowful experience of single living without support and most attempt suicide while pregnant. Solutions to curb pregnancy among teenage girls include forum discussions, sex temptation identification, parent-daughter discussion, counseling services and offender punishment. It was concluded that teenage mothers lived a sorrowful and unsupported life that make them academic dropouts. The study provided broad insights and a framework on the teenage mothers’ lived experience and their education.   Key words: Teenage pregnancy, teenage mothers, out of school teenage mothers, education, sector.