CHALLENGES FACED BY TEENAGE MOTHERS IN LEARNING IN NIGERIA
Keywords:
Teenaged, mothers, learning, challenges, Nigeria.Abstract
This paper reviewed teenaged mothers, their age bracket, characteristics, general socio-economic background as well as their school and emotional state. The challenges faced by teenaged mothers were identified. Some of the challenges faced by teenaged mothers were found to emanate from the home, school and community. One of the most traumatic and devastating challenges of teenaged mothers identified was difficulty to continue with their education during and after pregnancy. Teenaged mothers were reported to be involved in school absenteeism resulting in inability to participate in classwork, practical demonstrations and poor academic performance. The paper concluded that teenage pregnancy and mothering can result in poor school performance which subsequently may lead to drop out from school, poor job placement and poverty. It is therefore recommended among others that educators and stakeholders should consider giving emotional support to pregnant teenagers by showing them love and empathy. Negative remarks about pregnant learners in the classroom situation should be avoided at all costs. Advice or corrections pertaining to the state of affairs of pregnant teenagers should be done in camera or privately by the teacher, not in the presence of other learners who are not pregnant. This will promote good relationships between educators and pregnant teenagers thereby improving their academic performance.
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