Adolescent Mothers To
Receive Grant To Stay in
School
With objective of avoid
adolescent mothers
abandoning the
classroom, beginning
next school term, some
500 young mothers will
receive a monthly grant
of ¢50.000 colones
(us$97.) to be used to
pay for child care while
they are in school.
The program is a
participation of the
Ministerio de Educación
Pública (MEP) -
Educatiion ministry and
the Patronato Nacional
de la Infancia (PANI) -
child welfare agency -
who together will bear
the cost of the ¢300
million colones for the
2008 school year.
The program has the
hopes of increases the
number of adolescent
mothers until all will
be in enrolled in
school, so that they can
complete their high
school and then move on
to university or
technical school to
learn a trade.
Mario Víquez, president
of PANI, explained the
program called "Adolescentes
Madres" has various
components, mostly of
which it will keep the
young mothers in school.
"There are between
12.000 and 14.000
adolescent mothers a
year and only 1.600 a
currently enrolled in
the education system",
said Víquez.
The MEP and PANI program
is to provide the 500
young mothers the
support for their basic
necessities, but also
for the care of their
child and will be
working with the support
of the Instituto
Nacional de la Mujeres (Inamu)
- women's institute - to
help those outside the
system, added Víquez.
PANI records indicate
that in 2005 there were
14.256 adolescent
mothers, of which 454
were under the age of 15
and the rest between 15
and 19 years of age.
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