Education, dignity and the right to a second chance.
Quote of the Day
“There is vast potential to be tapped in the dreams, aspirations, abilities and determination of girls and young women, so that they can become the driving force of their own transformation.” — Graça Machel
There is a young woman somewhere who has already been told what she cannot become.
Perhaps she was told that university is too expensive for a girl. Perhaps her family believes that marriage should come before education. Or perhaps she became a mother earlier than expected, and people around her have quietly decided that her future is settled.
But who gets to make that decision?
Graça Machel’s words remind us of something easily forgotten: young women are not simply waiting for others to improve their lives. They have ideas, ambitions and abilities of their own.
What they often lack is a fair opportunity to use them.
Think of a girl who wants to become a nurse but has no money for school fees. Or a teenage mother who wants to return to the classroom but has nobody to care for her baby.
Telling these girls to work harder does not solve the problem.
They need opportunities that match their determination.
Families can encourage rather than discourage them. Schools can welcome them instead of judging them. Communities can recognize that motherhood, poverty or a difficult childhood should not permanently define someone’s possibilities.
And governments must ensure that the right to education means something beyond words written in a policy.
There is another lesson here.
When we speak about helping girls, we should also listen to what they want for themselves.
A young woman may need support, but that does not mean she lacks the ability to make decisions about her own future.
Perhaps the question should not always be what we can do for girls and young women, but what becomes possible when we stop standing in their way.
Source: United Nations Office for Partnerships — Graça Machel.
Did You Know?
In Cameroon, pregnancy does not automatically mean the end of a girl’s education.
Imagine a secondary school student who discovers she is pregnant.
She is frightened. Her parents are disappointed. Her classmates begin talking.
But there is another worry.
Will she be allowed to continue her education?
For years, pregnant girls in several African countries faced rules that excluded them from school. Some were prevented from attending classes or returning after childbirth.
Cameroon changed its approach in 2022.
According to UNESCO, a circular introduced that year allows pregnant girls to remain in school until the 26th week of pregnancy and provides for their return to education after giving birth.
This is a meaningful development, but having a policy is not the same as making it work.
A young mother may be allowed to return to school and still face serious obstacles.
Who looks after her baby while she attends classes? Can her family afford transportation, uniforms and school materials? Will teachers and classmates treat her with dignity?
A UNESCO report released in October 2026 found that fewer than 5% of pregnant and parenting girls in sub-Saharan Africa return to school. It also estimated that six million pregnant girls and young mothers aged 10–19 were out of school in the region in 2024.
These figures should concern us.
A girl who becomes pregnant still has talents, ambitions and the capacity to learn.
Supporting her education does not mean ignoring the difficulties of teenage pregnancy. It means recognizing that one difficult chapter should not determine the rest of her life.
A second chance should not exist only in government circulars. It should be something a girl can actually experience when she walks back through her school gate.
Sources: UNESCO — Pregnancy and the Right to Education (March 2026); UNESCO — 2026 Global Education Monitoring Gender Report (October 2026).
For Discussion
Should schools do more than simply allow teenage mothers to return to class?
What practical support would make the greatest difference: affordable childcare, counselling, financial assistance, flexible learning arrangements or stronger protection against discrimination?
And in our communities, how can we support young mothers without making them feel that they must spend the rest of their lives apologizing for becoming pregnant?
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