The ||Kharas region has recorded 261 teenage pregnancies and 1,051 pregnancy-related school dropouts between 2022 and 2026.
This was revealed during Miss World Namibia Elly Aron's courtesy visit to the Regional Educational Directorate Office in Keetmanshoop.
Her visit was aimed to engage with health and education officials regarding teenage pregnancy statistics in the region and identifying current hotspots and programmes for schools to implement in preventing teenage pregnancies.
In primary schools, 15 cases were recorded from 2022 to 2026.
Secondary schools recorded 246 cases during the same period, peaking at 79 cases in 2025.
These pregnancies are contributing to a sharp rise in school dropouts, which have increased from 171 students in 2022 to 317 in 2025, with 78 dropouts so far in 2026.
Lambert explained the government's interventions.
"So, what we are doing at the Ministry of Education is continuously training our Life Skills teachers on implementing interventions under the Learner Pregnancy Prevention and Management Policy. Through our regional offices, we have established task forces, and we also conduct community engagement activities to raise awareness among parents and communities about the policy. However, as I mentioned, we are still struggling to keep the number of learner pregnancies below 20 cases per year. It remains a significant challenge."
Lambert further revealed that the Noordoewer settlement has reported the most occurring teenage pregnancies in the region, making it the highest hotspot.
“Noordoewer needs the desired support. We need to engage the parents and learners. The teachers are doing their best. Whatever is taught at school should be commended at the community level.”
Miss World said through her Penomwene Trust and through the patron of the Miss World Organisation, the Minister of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, Emma Katema, they would collaborate and see how they can provide support to meet the region's needs.
"So, we will develop programmes that are suited to the ǁKharas Region, and we will return to implement them. The best way to get involved is to speak up, ask questions, and share your concerns, so we can understand where support is needed and meet you halfway. With purpose, we learn; we listen, but through collaboration, we implement," added Aron.