Content or not, viral video of learner 'forced' to take baby to school sheds light on teen pregnancy

A video showing a mother urging her daughter to bring her baby to school has sparked varied reactions among internet users. The footage displays the girl walking to school, with the infant resting on her back. The concerned mother questions her daughter about leaving the baby's bag behind and inquires about the child's sustenance throughout the day.

"Are you already going to school? How can you go to school without the baby's bag? What will the child eat?" the mother asks. The teenager then asks her mother to look after the baby for the day, stating that the infant's crying would disturb class. "Can you please stay with the baby today only?" the teen mom requests. "The child will cry in class and disturb me."

The mother continues, expressing her disapproval: "This is a disgrace. You can't go like that, not even having covered the baby. Take the child's bag. You want them to starve?" She then tells her daughter that she cannot stay with the baby and that the teenager should attend school with the baby's father. "I can't stay with the baby.

You go to school with the father. If you feel like you're getting tired, you can hand over the baby to him in class," she advises. While some netizens speculate the video might be staged for content, others have commended the mother's approach. One commenter urges communities to educate daughters on preserving their virginity and cherishing it above all else.

This sentiment aims to prevent girls from dropping out of school with a child already born and, by the time they marry, having multiple children from different fathers. Another user praises the mother, highlighting a lesson for those still uneducated on purity, urging them to avoid casual sex, focus on education, and respect women.

The exchange underscores the real-life struggles faced by young mothers who must continue their education while caring for infants. Recently, IOL reported on a Grade 12 learner in the Eastern Cape's Alfred Nzo East District who gave birth in the school's toilet during school hours, requiring medical attention. Earlier this year, the Cape Argus reported that in the period 2024/25, 117,195 girls aged 10-19 gave birth, emphasizing the importance of teaching children that they cannot legally consent to sex at the age of 12. Some cases involve girls as young as 11-years-old becoming pregnant.