Young mums can still go to school

PETALING JAYA: Siti Maryam Mahmod, 14, who got married recently, can continue schooling even if she becomes pregnant.

Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong, however, expressed concern about how she would cope being a student and mother at her age.

“No one can stop her from receiving an education as it is her right.

“But I am concerned about how she will relate to her friends and she will only know this once she becomes pregnant.

“How will she manage her baby and family while schooling?” he asked when contacted yesterday.

“It is a rare case but there is no law or guideline from the Education Ministry that prohibits young mothers from schooling,” he added.

Dr Wee said cases like this have to be considered on an ad hoc basis.

“We must ensure that it is handled properly and with wisdom.

“However from a logical point of view, she will be faced with two absolutely different cultures – school life and motherhood.

“I don’t know how she will cope,” he added.

The deputy minister also said the ministry did not encourage underage marriage or pregnancy.

Siti married 23-year-old Abdul Manan Othman, a family friend, at a 1Malaysia mass wedding on Saturday.

She was quoted as saying that it would be hard to balance her roles as a student, wife and soon, a mother but she was taking it in her stride.

Her husband Abdul Manan said his wife’s education was important to him.

The country’s first school for pregnant teens, Sekolah Harapan, in Malacca officially opened its doors in September.