The 2009 HSRC Report on Teenage Pregnancy shows that 62 out of every thousand girls in the country fell pregnant annually during the period 2004 to 2008.

This has raised concerns around the effectiveness of awareness campaigns to combat the spread of HIV/Aids. As a result, some schools have adopted measures to deal with this problem. But concerned parents are worried that some of these measures taken by some provincial education departments are too harsh.

The Eastern Cape had the highest rate of teenage pregnancies among learners, followed by the Free State. In Bultfontein in the western Free State, a number of learners were pulled out of school when they fell pregnant.

The Free State department of Education says learners are withdrawn two months prior to going into labour. They are, however, allowed to resume classes the following year. Efforts by organisations like Love Life are trying to educate learners about teenage pregnancies, but the problem remains a headache for schools.