Protecting education rights for adolescent mother school dropouts: a case study of Kampala District, Uganda

This study focuses on the experiences of student mothers and highlights their experiences and the efforts of the non-state intervention programs that works to protect their education rights in a context where there is no official re-entry education sector policy for them. Data was collected from student mothers, parent or caregivers, and program staff within a non-state project being imple-mented in two urban poor locales (Kasubi and Nakulabye in Rubaga Division of Kampala District in Uganda) to universalize education for urban poor girls. The study highlights the perspectives of the student mothers bringing out the intersecting barriers to their education and ways in which the project is shifting norms and transforming their social and educational contexts thus providing lessons for a more protective policy. Therefore, the key findings indicate that there is need to consider re-entry for adolescent mothers since many still value the benefits of the education in their lives. Dropping out from school due to early pregnancy doesn’t mean an end to education hence the government needs to look into the re-entry policy in the country.