The Education Regulations, 1980 stipulates that a girl who becomes pregnant shall leave school during the period of her pregnancy.

Re-entry of an adolescent mother into the formal school system used to be at the discretion of the Minister of Education.

Additionally, school administrators often times misinterpreted the absence of a pregnant from school as permanent, and the adolescent mother runs the risk of not completing her secondary education.

The Policy for the Reintegration of School-Age Mothers into the Formal School System which was launched in 2013, makes it mandatory for adolescent mothers to return to the education system after the birth of their babies. The Re-Integration Policy ensures:

• Automatic referral of all pregnant girls to the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation.
• Reintegrating all school-age mothers into the formal school system, either in their original school or in another school, at the same level.
• Monitoring of adolescent mothers to ensure they complete their education
• Increasing prevention messages to seek to reduce the incidence of teen pregnancy