Abstract
Of late, the issue of underage girls becoming mothers has been very high not just in Kenya but in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa. While many of those who become mothers before completing their schooling consider academic qualifications to be very important, they may not be able to cope and succeed academically if the support they need to complete their studies is not forthcoming or is insufficient. Usually instead of getting support, the young-mothers learners endure misunderstanding and pressure from different quarters. The young-mothers learners may feel disempowered because they are labeled and consequently, they develop forms of resistance which in most cases may foster their failure as learners. The aim of this study was therefore to find out how these young-mothers learners experienced challenges associated with motherhood as learners. The study also looked at some ways that the young-mothers learners used in order to cope with the challenges. A qualitative research approach was employed to gather information for the study. Four young-mothers learners were interviewed. Additional information was sought from the head teachers/director of the institution these young-mothers learners were schooling or resided through informal talks. This was to gather information about the young-mothers learners schooling situation. It was evident that lack of the much needed financial, emotional and social support was a challenge for the young-mothers learners in their coping with education successfully. Key Words: Young-mothers learners, motherhood, parenting, challenges, re-entry, support and schooling. NB The terms adolescent/teenage-mothers and young-mothers will be used interchangeably in this study. Names of the participants were coded using letters of the alphabet and numerals. For example letters PT were used and numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4.Thus the participants were referred to as PT1, PT2, PT3 and PT4. This is in line with ethics and confidentiality for them to remain anonymous.