Plan International Rwanda launches campaign to enrol school dropouts

Parents have been urged to give their children (drop outs) a second chance to have an education for them to have a better future. The call was made by Grace Kobuhoro, the officer in charge of promoting girls’ education in Plan international- Rwanda last Friday.She was addressing residents of Mayange Sector in Bugesera district during the launch of an awareness campaign targeting parents and teachers to change their mindset about school dropouts.“When our children, for example girls conceive they have to get out of school for a while. This affects them as individuals but also has a negative impact on our nation. The very reasons we want to call upon parents to take back our sisters to school,” she said.She said we need to emphasise this so that it can be clear with parents and schools that a girl can give birth and later continue with her studies. The campaign dubbed “Go back to school” aims at educating the population that although young girls may engage in actions that might lead them to early pregnancies, behavioural change is possible.Officials said that the event was taken to Mayange Sector based on records that the sector has in the past registered a high rate of school drop outs in the district.The organisation says that their findings indicate that the rate of girls dropping out of school is far higher than that of their counterparts. During the campaign, identified dropouts will among others, undergo lessons or trainings on how they can easily avoid getting back into the old traps of getting unwanted pregnancies. Bernadette Ntabwolakeba a senior two drop out said there are quite big challenges between parents and their children upon dropping out.“For sure, I was young and I regret my actions but after realising that I had conceived, I used to fear even moving out of the house and the public reaction towards me is something I do not wish for any young girl,” Ntabwolakeba said.She promised that given another chance to go to school it would be a new lease of life.