“I Believe it is Important and Best to Stay in School”: Resilience in Teenage Mothers attending School in Omusati Region, Namibia
Rauha Haipinge 
& Halima Namakula
Issue: Vol.6 No.6 Article 12 pp. 818 – 830
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20256612 | Published online 13th May, 2025
© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Being a teenager is a difficult experience, further complicated when motherhood and schooling co-occur. Indeed, the struggle to navigate and balance motherhood and schooling responsibilities contributes to stress and anxiety, which can negatively impact schooling experiences. Some school-going teenage mothers, however, show resilience in pursuing their education amidst all odds. This paper examines the resilience of school-going teenage mothers at the Okalongo circuit in the Omusati Region of Namibia. The qualitative research method was used in this study to explore the lived experiences of 16 school-going teenage mothers. Findings of this study show that these teen mothers, while attending school, experience trauma, stigma, insults, and discrimination, yet exhibit resilience by refusing to give up to societal expectations or negative stereotypes. Internal motivations among the mothers were characterized by social skills, problem-solving abilities, autonomy, agency, faith, and forgiveness. This research destabilizes the narrative around teenage motherhood from that of a problem to a commitment to viewing young mothers as a potential resource toward society. These findings contribute to an understanding of the experiences of teen mothers, therefore offering some insight into the measures to be implemented that would support educational success and redress gender inequalities.
Keywords: Resilience, teenage pregnancy, teen mother, schooling.
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Dr. Rauha Haipinge is the principal of Onembaba Combined School in the Okalongo Circuit of Namibia, with over 34 years of experience in education and leadership. As an independent scholar, her research interests include education policy studies, curriculum development, career guidance, teaching and learning. Dr. Haipinge also mentors undergraduate students at the Namibian College of Open Learning (NAMCOL) where she supports their academic growth and development. Additionally, she is a dedicated community leader, serving as the Director of Omusati Women in Sport and as a Namibia Sports Commissioner. These roles reflect her commitment to empowering individuals and strengthening communities.
Dr. Halima Namakula is a postdoctoral fellow at SARChi Teaching and Learning, University of Johannesburg. Her research interest includes higher education, teaching and learning, academic literacy development, higher education access and success, gender in education, ICT in education, early childhood development, and practices in translanguaging and writing centres in South Africa.
Haipinge, Rauha, and Halima Namakula. ““I believe it is important and best to stay in school”: Resilience in teenage mothers attending school in Omusati Region, Namibia,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 6, no.6 (2025): 818 – 830. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20256612
© 2025 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
