Teachers and school leaders as ethical agents in addressing teenage pregnancy in Kenyan secondary schools: A Kantian deontological analysis

Abstract

Poverty, gendered power, coercion, misinformation, disparities in sexuality education and limitations in safeguarding and school re-entry are all factors that affect teenage pregnancy in Kenyan secondary schools. School responses may either shield the dignity of learners and ensure continuity of education or may reinforce stigma and exclusion. This article discussed the ethics of teachers and school leaders in the context of Kantian deontology on teenage pregnancy. A philosophical method of inquiry with critical and prescriptive approaches was used. Resources ranged from philosophical essays about Kant and material from peer-reviewed studies on adolescent pregnancies, sexuality education, moral-education/ethical leadership curricula and documents on the Kenyan curriculum and school re-entry, to demographic findings and international technical guidance. Selection of sources was done with care, with an eye to conceptual authority, methodological clarity, relevance to Kenya or similar environments, and empirical and policy claims. The critical analysis looked at punitive, stigmatising, narrowly informational and inconsistent school practices in the context of autonomy, universalizability, duty and respect for persons. The prescriptive analysis identified seven responsibilities as ethically pertinent to truthful and age-appropriate education, confidentiality within safeguarding parameters, non-humiliating discipline, fair re-entry, competent referral, professional development, and intersectoral collaboration. The study identified systems as necessary components of ethical leadership - approved content, trained staff, reporting mechanisms, referral partnerships, complaints mechanisms, re-entry planning, supervision and allocation of resources. Selective punishment and the use of pregnant learners and parenting mothers in schools as a means to uphold the reputation of a school are also not acceptable within Kantian ethics. The article's final conclusion is that teachers and school leaders are moral and institutional players who have responsibilities for more than just rule enforcement; they are responsible for conditions of informed agency, protection, dignity and educational continuity. Comprehensive sexuality education, adolescent-responsive services, child protection and action on structural vulnerability are important components that should be used alongside, and not in isolation from, Kantian ethics. The article advocates a form of professional development that is piloted, clarified by school procedures, prepared for safeguarding in pedagogy, and monitored by intersectoral referral systems.