Ban on pregnant students condoned

Tanzania's ban on pregnant students and adolescent mothers attending school has denied tens of thousands of females their right to education, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has noted. It said public schools across mainland Tanzania conduct compulsory pregnancy testing on female students and expel pregnant females before they complete their compulsory education. Since June 2017, the late President John Magufuli and his successor, President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who took office in March, have enforced an official ban against students who are pregnant or have given birth. Elin Martinez, senior children's rights researcher at HRW urged government to ‘urgently end this inhumane policy’.