An African province temporarily sterilized twelve pharmaceutical and ultrasonography scholarship students before they headed off to study in India.

KwaZulu-Natal, a province of South Africa, injected the female students with Implanon which prevents pregnancy for up to three years, according to the provinces Health MEC Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo.

The students did not consent to it, but perhaps it was a condition on their acceptance of the government-funded scholarship.

The impetus for the controversial decision is that last year, two students who got national scholarships to study in Turkey returned after one got pregnant and another was involved in a drunken brawl, according to News24.  

It looks like the government which consists of mainly indigenous and rural traditionalist inhabitants want to ensure their investments are able to complete their studies without a pregnancy interrupting the progress.

Drastic! What do you think? Should the government have forced the girls to get temporarily sterilized as a condition of receiving the scholarship. 

photo: gfmr