The proposal of commencing antenatal clinics in schools for teenage girls put forward by the Government advisers has been welcomed by the teachers.

The effort has been made on account of the research that brought out that adolescent girls are often not provided antenatal care in hospitals, as expressed by National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.

The institute advised midwives to visit schools to conduct health checkups and provide advice regarding the healthy diet. The plan would incorporate the monitoring of the pregnancy, regular tests and classes to prepare women mentally for birth. Such a proposal, if comes into effect, will reduce the women succumbing to complications arising out of non-antenatal care.

“If antenatal care in school can both keep girls in education and ensure that they and their babies are healthy, it should be welcomed”, said Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers

But, the plan is also facing lash of criticism by many, as people fear that such a move will aggravate the tendency of pregnancies in young women. The figure is already alarming in Britain and every year, 41,000 babies are born to women under 18, which is two-times more than Germany, three times higher than France and six times more than Netherlands.