Teenage pregnancies have been declining due to policy and legislative interventions, but the rates still remain unacceptably high, according to a survey released in Johannesburg on Friday.

Provinces that currently showed high pregnancy rates include the Eastern Cape with 68.81 pregnant pupils per 1000 registered, KwaZulu-Natal with 62.24 and Limpopo, with 60.36 per 1000 registered.

The study on teenage pregnancies in South Africa, focusing on school-going teenagers, was conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council on behalf of the Department of Education.

Education Minister Angie Motshekga, who attended the event alongside a few pupils from various schools and government officials, welcomed the results of the report.

The report revealed that the decline in teen fertility was attributed to increased access to information on reproductive health rights and improved contraception use.

"The results are comforting. The fact is, this doesn't mean it's no longer a problem.

"Teenage pregnancy is one of the major challenges facing young people in South Africa today. It is one that compromises their futures as well as their emotional and physical well-being," said Motshekga during the event.

She said her department needed to find mechanisms and strategies to deal with the problem.

Among all population groups aged between 15 to 19, the largest decline in the numbers of school-going pupils who fell pregnant between 1996 to the end of 2001 were among white pupils.

White pupils recorded the largest decline at -29 .8 percent, followed by blacks -16.8 percent, coloureds -12.7 percent and Indians the lowest at -7.8 percent.

Senior researcher Saadhna Panday described teenage pregnancy as a "deeply routed social phenomenon".

She dismissed reports and beliefs which suggest that most teenagers fell pregnant because they wanted access to child support grants.

"This is certainly not the case. Fertility has been declining since the implementation of the child protection grants in the country," she said.

"In fact, termination of pregnancies was high during that period."

Panday further stated there was a low uptake of the grant.

Responding to recent reports of an 18-year-old Pretoria school girl who gave birth in a school toilet earlier this week, Motshekga said that was "regrettable", adding that girl's rights to education should not be undermined.

South African school policy allows for pregnant pupils to attend school.

Motshekga said there was a need to discuss the issuing of condoms at schools and for the promotion of abstinence.

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