5: Parental Authority, (Head)teacher Power, and M/othering

Chapter 5 begins with the voice of Malaika explaining how her father was “angry” with her for getting pregnant and almost forced her to marry the man responsible for the pregnancy. She then shares how differently her mother responded by advocating for Malaika to return to school. Drawing from this story, this chapter focuses on parents, teachers, and headteachers in their role and response to in-school pregnancy and student motherhood for young girls under their supervision. The chapter intentionally centers on the authoritative power held by these caretakers—in the home and school setting, respectively—and the ways in which this power can be leveraged to address the “othering” of pregnant and young mothers. This chapter highlights collective and communitarian efforts centered on teachers and parents to work with local community leaders, and non-governmental organizations (or mabungwe) to ensure continued support for pregnant/mothering students. The author argues for leveraging teacher power and parental authority through partnerships as a solid support to ensure deliberate and non-disruptive inclusion of pregnant and mothering students in primary and secondary schools.