“We Thank the Educators”: Teachers Rescue Newborn After Learner Gives Birth in Pit Toilet

• A learner gave birth inside a pit toilet at a school in Bizana, Eastern Cape, during the school day
• Teachers heard a newborn crying from inside the toilet and acted immediately to retrieve the baby
• The Eastern Cape Education Department confirmed the incident and praised educators for going beyond their duties

EASTERN CAPE - A learner has given birth in a pit toilet at a school in Bizana in the Eastern Cape, with teachers rushing to rescue the newborn after hearing cries from inside the pit.

The educators quickly responded and managed to retrieve the baby from the toilet. Both the learner and her newborn were taken to hospital for medical care.

According to the Eastern Cape Education Department, the baby is healthy, with officials crediting the teachers’ swift intervention for helping save the child’s life.

Teachers praised for quick response

Eastern Cape Education Department spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima confirmed the incident and praised the educators for going beyond their normal duties to assist the learner.

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"As a department, we are aware of this incident where a learner gave birth at the school in one of the ablution facilities.”

Mtima said the educators immediately stepped in to help.

"We can only thank the educators who sprung into action and helped the learner,” he said.

He added that reports from the hospital indicated that the baby was doing well.

"The child is healthy at the hospital,” Mtima said, adding that the support provided by the educators “saved the child.”

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Mother and baby receiving medical care

The department confirmed that both the learner and her baby remain under medical care.

Officials have not disclosed the learner’s age, grade or the name of the school to protect the privacy of the mother and her child.

School staff and education officials are also providing support to the learner as she recovers from the incident.

Increase in child pregnanices in the Eastern Cape

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Briefly News also reported that the Eastern Cape government issued an urgent appeal to communities to report child sexual offences, following the release of deeply troubling statistics on child and teenage pregnancies in the province. According to figures revealed by the provincial Department of Health, at least 117 children between the ages of 10 and 14 gave birth in public hospitals between April and July 2025. During the same period, a further 4,752 teenagers aged between 15 and 19 also delivered babies in public health facilities.

Source: Briefly News