Girls from Riviera High School do not need to take pregnancy tests, the school’s administration has said. Boniface Onyango, the school’s Principal confirmed the directive in an exclusive interview with The New Times. Parents received notification from the school’s administration asking them to disregard the requirement of pregnancy test as a pre-requisite, the principal said. The development comes as students prepare to return to school following a two-week break. Onyango explained that the school does not require students to take the pregnancy test before returning to school or when joining the school. He pointed out that the document that was distributed with the list of requirements for students was old and no longer valid. “It is being updated and will be sent to all parents,” the principal said. “We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. It was an error.” Onyango emphasized that the school’s policy is to promote girls’ education “There are a lot of things we are doing to support the girl child, we have mentors, councilors for them. We also have a club, the Girl Up, which is intended to ensure that their education is as important and valued as that of their male counterparts. Through this club, they are taught their responsibilities, rights, and opportunities.” In October last year, the Ministry of Education was forced to order schools to stop the practice of requiring girls to undertake a pregnancy test as a precondition for admission. The call was made after it emerged that most private schools were asking for pregnancy tests at the beginning of every term.
