A Limpopo teenager at a school with 24 pregnant pupils in 2016 wrote her Grade 12 mid-year examinations two days after she gave birth.

The 19-year-old is one of 15 girls at Makgongoana High School in GaMothapo village, near Mankweng, who were in Grade 12 while pregnant last year.

Teenage pregnancy was cited as one of the challenges that led to the school's poor performance last year, as it only obtained a 20% pass in the 2016 matric results.

Only one of the 15 girls passed the final matric examinations, while the rest have to repeat this year. The other nine pregnant pupils were in grades 9, 10 and 11.

The school, which already has one pregnant pupil in matric this year, is an example of the prevalence of the teenage pregnancy crisis in South Africa.

According to a 2015 Stats SA report released as part of the General Household Survey focusing on schools, 99000 pupils were pregnant in 2013, an increase from 81000 in 2012.

Yesterday, the teenager who asked not to be named, told Sowetan that juggling pregnancy and school work was hard.

"I was always feeling tired and sleepy. I couldn't cope. Sometimes I would wake up and get ready for class but then I'd take off my uniform and go back to bed."

The pupil said she found out she was pregnant in late 2015 and gave birth to a baby boy in May the following year.

"I had to come and write my midyear examinations two days after my child was born. Sometimes the baby would cry all night and I would have to wake up early for school. It was hard," she said.

The girl said her studies were affected by the pregnancy because she would miss out on extra lessons and excursions to the science laboratory at the Limpopo University campus in Mankweng.

"I couldn't go anywhere with a big belly. It was very embarrassing. Being a schoolgirl and pregnant is hard. Those two things don't go together," she said.

She said the father of her baby was a university student.

Another 18-year-old, who also failed Grade 12 and is now repeating it, said she could not cope because of the pressures that came with looking after a newborn. The teenager said she had her son in January and was back in class by February.

She found out that she was pregnant in 2015 when she missed her period.

She was impregnated by her 26-year-old boyfriend who is not a student. "I was afraid to tell my mother. When she found out she was angry."

She said it was hard as other kids at school would tease her.

"Sometimes they'd want to touch my belly or they would joke about my nose being big. My feet would also get swollen and I couldn't sit up straight for a long time" she said.

The pupil, who is hoping to pass her Grade 12 this year, said she wants to study nursing upon completing it.

"I wouldn't advise anyone to have a baby while still at school. It's difficult," she said.

Both girls said the fathers of the babies were helping to raise them as the two head back to repeat matric this year.