“It is not the end if you are a young mother,” MP Milne said. “Your life is not finished because you have a baby. When you become a mother, it does not end your dreams, it does not end your education, and it does not end your future.”

Her comments followed a story shared by Tom Saute, Training Manager of the Automotive Department at the Vanuatu Institute of Technology (VIT), about a mother who returned to study after more than a decade away from school.

Mr. Saute said the woman missed her Year 12 examinations after giving birth and later spent years selling goods at the market before being encouraged to enrol at VIT.

“Just this week I enrolled a mother,” he said. “She stayed away from school for 10 to 15 years. I saw her at the market selling to tourists and I asked her, ‘What are you doing here?’ She said she was selling goods, and I told her, ‘This is not your place.’”

He said the woman has now begun studying business accounting at VIT.

Saute said the institute is widening its intake to include older students, young mothers, and school leavers seeking a second chance at education.

“This time at VIT, we do not focus only on Year 11, 12, or 13 students,” he said. “It is different now. If you left school a long time ago, if you are a mother, as long as there is space, you can enrol.”

MP Milne said many young mothers face shame, depression, and rejection from family and community after early pregnancy.

“A lot of young mothers fall into depression,” she said. “Some stop going to school because they feel ashamed. They isolate themselves and live in darkness because they do not have support from family, friends, or the community.”

She said motherhood does not remove a woman’s intelligence, talent, or dignity.

“A young mother can become a nurse, a teacher, a lawyer, an MP, or even a prime minister,” Milne said. “Having a child does not remove your knowledge or talent.

“It can make you a stronger woman.”

She also called on families, teachers, and communities to stop shaming young mothers and instead support their return to education.

“When we reject a young girl because she gave birth early, we do not solve the problem,” she said. “Education must remain possible for young mothers. A second chance must exist.”

MP Milne urged parents to continue supporting daughters who become mothers early and encouraged schools to ensure returning students are not subjected to discrimination.

“To the teachers, we must create an environment where girls feel safe when they come back to school,” she said. “Do not let one chapter destroy your future.”

She ended with a message to young mothers, saying perseverance would one day be recognised by their children.

“One day the child you raise will tell you, ‘Mama, you are a strong woman because you never gave up,’” she said.

SOURCE: VANUATU DAILY POST