After the ministry’s decision to force victims of pregnancy in basic and post basic schools to continue their education in vocational schools, the spokesperson for the minister says the decision is not a punishment as many people think. He has said it at a press conference held this July 10, 2018.
Edouard Juma: “The decision is not a punishment as many people think”
Edouard Juma, says the recent decision by the education minister was criticized because it wrongly interpreted. “Vocational schools are a great opportunity for those who are victims of pregnancy during their studies. They will allow them to earn a living as early as possible without continuing university education,” he says.
Juma says vocational schools are not well perceived in Burundi and this is the reason why most people have interpreted the minister’s measure as a punishment given to the victims of pregnancy. “It is not a punishment as such but a way of helping them. Vocational training is as good as language and scientific training,” says the spokesperson for the ministry of education.
He reminds that there is no obligation to continue vocational education if the students are not willing to. “The decision to pursue their studies in a vocational school is not an obligation. It is rather a right. Only those who are willing to have vocational training can go there”.
The decision banning victims of pregnancies from basic and post basic schools from continuing with formal education, which was announced on June 26, was strongly criticized by different child rights activists and education exper
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