Five years after its inception, the Sekolah Harapan (School of Hope) set up for pregnant teens had achieved its objectives, said Jabatan Agama Islam Melaka (JAIM) director Ismail Ahmad.

In an exclusive interview with Astro AWANI, he said this is evident when none of the students enrolled there had returned to the school for a second time.

He believed that this is a sign that the teens had learned from their mistakes and did not repeat them.

“The objectives of the school have been accomplished. The pregnant teens are also no longer facing pressure from the society,” he said in a telephone interview.

He said the teens’ identities were also kept confidential before and after they joined the school, located in Jasin, Malacca.

“Until now, we do not have any students coming back to us, pregnant,” he stressed.

He said the students, were given Islamic teachings in the morning while their evenings were filled with academic studies.

Since the school was set up in Sept 2010, a total of 241 babies were born with 135 of them being boys.
Ismail said, out of the number, only one child died while 22 others were given up for adoption.

“Most of the babies are taken care of by their mothers, or family members. The adoption process of the babies are subjected to the Welfare Department regulations,” he said.

He said JAIM allocated nearly RM500,000 per year to run the school which also includes the teens food and staff salaries.

“However, the cost of delivering the babies are borne by their mothers or their family members. A normal birth will cost RM70 while a C-sect will cost RM250,” he explained.

Ismail said a total of 238 pregnant teens from all over the country were placed in the schools. Since Jan this year, a total of 16 students were placed in the school.

Ismail said, about 90 per cent of the tens were made pregnant by their boyfriends although in some cases, the teens only knew each other for less than two weeks.

“According to our statistics, 10 per cent of the pregnancies were caused by rape,” he said.

He said the society has begun to accept the existence of the school despite the earlier criticism and believe that the school is the best place for the pregnant teens.