Eswatini: 1,516 girls leave school after pregnancy

Between 2023 and 2025, 1,516 girls left school in Eswatini because of pregnancy, according to a presentation by Londiwe Ngci Dube, acting director of Guidance and Counselling, at the joint education sector review held from 26 to 28 October 2026. Pregnancy was the leading recorded reason for dropping out.

In primary schools, the number of departures linked to pregnancy rose from 88 in 2023 to 180 in 2025, an increase of about 105%. In secondary schools, it rose from 964 to 1,336, or 39%. These figures are counts, not dropout rates, which would require comparison with enrolment figures. Improved reporting could also explain part of the increase, the presentation noted.

Reported cases of violence in schools rose from 45 in 2023 to 204 over the 2024–2025 period. Abuse at home, substance use and bullying are also among the factors contributing to increasing numbers of departures.

No permanent guidance and counselling posts have been created in schools, despite a recommendation made as early as 2011. Only 180 of the 7,538 primary school teachers, or 2.4%, have been trained to teach life skills. In secondary schools, 258 of 291 headteachers have received training in violence prevention and positive discipline.