By MN Reporter

St Mary Gorrety’s Dede Girls High School principal Margaret Okonjo is on the spot for sending home four pregnant girls from the school.

Okonjo is accused of going against the government directive of allowing students in school, and calling parents of the girls on August 17 to fetch their children and take them home.

But Okonjo speaking to the press in her office, denied the allegations insisting she did not send any of her students home.

“The girls are with us. I’ve registered them and they are here with me. I have not sent anybody away,” Ms. Okonjo said.

She noted that some students had not reported to the school after the half term break that ended early this week.

But parents led by John Otiep narrated how he was told in the message rush very fast to the school and in the company of the girl’s mother and found he daughter standing outside deputy principal office.

He said the deputy principal told them that they conducted several pregnancy tests on his daughter and found that only one test turned out negative while the rest were positive.

“I begged them to allow her continue with education because government policy accepts that despite a child being pregnant, they should not be sent home, but he refused,” Otiep said.

According to the parent, the principal declined and told him that they had “encountered cases where students would abort by drinking concentrated juice or powdered detergents”.

Awendo DCC Mercy Wamalwa and Jacob Onyiego who is the Migori County Director for Education termed the act illegal and said every learner ought to be in school whether pregnant or not.

“A pregnant learner should be in school until that time of delivery. Before that they should be allowed to be in school,” Wamalwa said.