Asked by: Will Quince (Conservative - Colchester)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Tanzania about reports that pregnant teenage women in that country will be allowed to study in state schools both during and after pregnancy.
Answered by Rory Stewart
The UK regards equal access for girls and women to all levels of education and training as a human right. Educating girls brings economic and social benefits. I raised our concerns about access to education and training for pregnant teenage women with the Government of Tanzania when I visited Dar es Salaam in August this year. I stressed the need to look at the root causes of the problem, such as lack of knowledge and access to sexual reproductive health and rights, sexual violence against girls and child marriage. Tanzanian law and policies promote and protect girls' rights to education notably through the Education Act, the Child Act and the Education and Training Policy.