By Lake Zone Watch Writer
Tarime Rural Constituency in Mara region is reported to have massive girl-student dropouts in secondary schools due to early marriages and pregnancies.
The constituency’s Member of Parliament, Mwita Waitara has expressed great concern on the alarming number of girl- student idlers calling for urgent measures to contain the problem.
“Just think of 43 girl student dropouts at Muriba Secondary School alone out of 57 such schools in the constituency. The number could perhaps be greater,” he said at the weekend.
“This situation is demoralizing parents in educating their girl children. It is also demoralizing other girls in continuing with secondary education,” he added.
The Chama Cha Mapinduzi MP blamed village and ward executive officers for remaining silent on the matter, something which has greatly contributed to the emergence of the problem.
“The government should take punitive action as girl students are forced into early marriages while others are lured by dubious characters into early pregnancies,” Waitara said.
According to the legislator, new Mara Regional Commissioner, Colonel Evans Mtambi, has ordered the arrest of people alleged to have impregnated or married the girl students.
Last week Mtambi held his first meeting with workers of the Tarime Rural District Council where he issued several directives on the performance of their duties.