THE EFFECT OF TEENAGE PREGNANCY ON YOUTH EDUCATION
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.9 THE STUDY’S INTRODUCTION
Teenage pregnancy among Nigerian youth has reached alarming proportions in recent years. A careful examination of the unfolding historical scenario would reveal the complexity of the problem, which is highlighted by the fact that the occurrences appear to be a double-edged sword to the victims’ families, communities, and the nation in general. Armed and Meakers (1999).
A teenager is someone who has reached the age of 13 to 19 years, which is also known as the “adolescence” period, which is marked by puberty experiences.
According to psychologists, this period is more important in every individual’s life because it precedes and determines adulthood personality and adjustments. According to Horrocks (1975), adequate guidance and counseling are required, which if lacking can lead to maladjustment.
According to Haurlock (1982), it is a period of adjacent storm, stress, and crises during which one grope must adjust in order to meet the demanding physical, mental, social, emotional, political, and economic standards. As a result, the importance of adequate paternal and maternal care for adolescents cannot be overstated.
Teenage prostitution and pregnancy have been a frightening reality in many parts of the world. The outcomes are tragic, and they are frequently involved in crime and drug abuse. Many of them feel frustrated and worthless, with little or no hope of escaping their dreadful circumstances. Influential figures recognize the devastation caused by adolescent prostitution and pregnancy.
Child prostitution is a barbarous crime, according to Brazil’s ex-president, Fernando Henrique Cardoso. A Brazilian newspaper also published this sobering comment about child prostitution: “In countries where such a practice is common, tolerated, accepted, and even bought after for the money it beings experience every day the devastation that it causes awake, child prostitution a tragic reality” (Feb. 8, 2003).
Despite the best efforts of individuals and groups, the phenomenon continues to grow at an alarming rate. What causes this heinous situation? Why do so many people tolerate and even encourage suicidal and genocidal behavior? There have been jingles on daily radio and television stations, as well as a plethora of newspaper reports, about the heinous trend of teenage pregnancy among youths.
Efforts made appear to be making a difference, with a large number of students abruptly withdrawing from school. Not only females, but also their male counterparts who participate in the act in collaboration. Lauries, L. l. (1985).
According to Lloyd and Menseh (1999), the nature of the school a girl or boy attends is assumed to be important because of the negation process surrounding sex. This process is described as girls “giving in” to boys in exchange for gifts and money transit.
The consequences are said to be unquantifiable, as it sends many to their deaths, while others suffer from pregnancy and childbirth complications such as infertility, pelvic infections, and chronic pain, according to obstetrician Olubukola Fawole (2001).
Dr. Ransome Kuti, a former minister of health, stated that adolescent girls account for half of all maternal deaths in Nigeria. Because of obstructed labor and other obstetric complications, early pregnancy in these young females has a very high mortality rate.
Furthermore, abortion complications account for 72 percent of all deaths among girls under the age of 19. Other factors contributing to high maternal mortality in Nigeria, in addition to teenage pregnancy, include low education levels, poverty, a lack of access to good health care, and harmful traditional practices such as genital mutilation and, in particular, early marriage.
Increased unprotected sexual activities among male and female adolescents in Nigeria, leading to unwanted pregnancy and illegal abortion, are posing serious health risks.
In Nigeria, approximately 610,000 abortions are performed each year, with 60% of them deemed unsafe. In Nigeria, the maternal mortality rate is 1,500 deaths per 100,000 live births, with 12 percent of these deaths attributed to unsafe abortion.
In some studies, unsafe abortion accounted for up to 40% of maternal mortality; the average unsafe abortion morality ration in Africa is 110; and deaths per 100,000 live in Nigeria are said to be concerning.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 1993, education of teenagers could play a critical role, and the Universal Basic Education (UBE) policy on education (1981) specifies that everyone has an equal right to education. However, in practice, many female teenagers have been forced to withdraw from school due to pregnancy, which is the leading proximate cause of female early dropout.
Many other factors include a lack of social and economic opportunities for girls and women, as well as the demands placed on them due to their gender. Inequalities within the educational school experience are known to exist, as are poor academic performance and resignation to preference and resignation for early motherhood.
Although pregnancy is commonly thought to disrupt adolescent girls’ education, teenage reproductive behavior may be endogenous to school completion in that many of the same factors contribute to dropout and early child bearing. Mensch and Lloyd (1999).
However, the need to untangle the issue of teenage pregnancy has fallen on us as an undeniable major concern that is relevant to our task of explaining and determining the causal factors, as well as solutions to ameliorating the menacingly ugly trend among Edo State youths.
Secondary school students in Edo State are mostly between the ages of 12 and 18, making them teenagers or adolescents. Secondary school female students in Edo State are vulnerable for a variety of reasons, including their family background, economic situation, and peer group (mixed secondary schools). As a result, they are vulnerable to early pregnancy.
1.10 PROBLEM STATEMENT
The purpose of this research is to look into the impact of teenage pregnancy on the educational attainment of youth in Egor Local Government Area, Edo State.
It is without a doubt a social ailment that affects our entire society. As a result, the need to investigate the underlying factors and solutions for the degrading phenomenon is undeniable, and several methods of correction and eradication have been widely acknowledged in the literature.
1.11 STUDY OBJECTIVE
The study’s goal was to discover the issues surrounding adolescent pregnancy among Edo State youths. It will look at the risk factors that lead to adolescent pregnancy. Also, to seek measures to reduce the threat to the bare necessities in our society, particularly in Edo State.
School-age girls who become pregnant come from all socioeconomic backgrounds, races, and regions of the country. (Both rural and urban) Many teenagers are faced with the dilemma of an unwanted pregnancy and parenthood.
Parents, society, and the nation, as well as the world in general, are directly or indirectly affected by them, and their choices will have significant consequences for the future of their communities, countries, and the rest of the world.
1.12 IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY
The essence of this study is that its findings will be extremely beneficial to educators, teachers, parents, guidance, government, and youths in Edo State and beyond. If the recommendations are considered and appreciated, the state’s good image will be protected through improved educational standards and manpower.
Parents will be able to enjoy the fruits of their womb and labor because there will be no more untimely withdrawal from school, fewer health hazards among youths (particularly female teenagers), less economic waste, and less personality degradation.
The school administration would be proud of their academic standards because reliable and enviable products would emerge from the school in a dramatic fashion. Furthermore, the government would be relieved of the burden of meaningless and extravagant spending on family planning services, chemotherapeutic drugs and equipment, adoption laws and regulations, sex education, and other similar programs.
1.13 QUESTION OF RESEARCH
The following questions will be investigated as part of this study to determine the impact of teenage pregnancy on the educational attainment of youth in Egor Local Government Area, Edo State.
1. Does adolescent pregnancy affect female adolescents’ academic performance?
2. Is the school administration to blame for teenage pregnancy?
3. Does a poor parental socioeconomic background contribute to the high rate of adolescent pregnancy?
4. Does peer group influence play a role in teen pregnancy in our schools?
5. Is mass media influence to blame for teenage pregnancy among Edo State youths?
6. Is the educational level of female teenagers responsible for teenage pregnancy among teenagers?
1.14 DELIVERY LIMITATION
This study is intended for all female SSS I – III students in Egor Local Government Area, Edo State.
The students’ ages range from 13 to 19 years old, with a wide range.
1.15 TERMS DEFINITION
Mortality Ratio: The number of deaths recorded in a population of people over a given time period.
Puberty marks the beginning of menarche for girls and the first experience of nocturnal emissions for boys.
Suicidal Behavior: This is behavior that is dangerous to one’s survival.
Genocidal Behavior: This is the behavior that could endanger a race of people (nation).
Peer Group: People of the same age with similar backgrounds and interests.
Contraception is the practice or methods of preventing pregnancy that are used on purpose.
Ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilized ova develops outside the womb (uterus) as a result of conception.
Abortion is the premature removal of (embryo, placenta, etc.) from the uterus of conception before the 28th week of gestation.
Pornography is the display of images or photographs of sexually exposed parts of the human body.
Adolescence: A period of self-discovery, feelings, and societal complexities that typically occurs between the ages of 13 and 18 years. This stage of psychological development.
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