Thursday September 16, 2010
First intake of pregnant teens
MALACCA: Some 40 places will be made available at Sekolah Harapan, the country’s first school for pregnant teens which will take in its first batch of students tomorrow. Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said the school is open to married and unmarried teens who are pregnant as well as rape victims. To date, however, no one has been registered.
A supervisor-cum-principal as well as four experienced teachers with the Malacca Islamic Religious Department (Jaim) will be hired to teach the girls, he said, adding that the mothers-to-be would be taught the standard secondary school syllabus. Although the teachers may be experienced educators, he said they would still be required to undergo a week’s training at the Tunas Bakti Lereh Girls Home in Tanjung Kling to acquire additional skills.
School of hope: The school’s chairman, Datuk Ab Rahaman Ab Karim (right), talking to officers when inspecting Sekolah Harapan in Jasin recently.
Meanwhile, Mohd Ali reiterated his position to encourage marriage among teens. “For parents who are not able to control their children, they should be allowed to marry instead of committing zina (premarital sex),” he said at Seri Bendahara, Ayer Keroh, yesterday. The school and its dormitory (Rumah Harapan) are located in the lush green settings of the former Malacca Water Corporation office and the hadi’s office in Jasin.
Mohd Ali caused a storm two months ago when announcing the setting up of the school which was mooted by the Malacca Islamic Religious Council on May 18. He defended the state’s move to set up the school, saying that it would help prevent illicit sex and baby dumping.
There were 900 cases of co-habitation and 391 out-of-wedlock births in the state last year with 174 out-of-wedlock births recorded as of July this year by mainly girls below the age of 20. A total of five baby dumping cases were also recorded here as of August.
