Ethiopian woman gives birth and sits for exams 30 minutes later

A woman in Ethiopia has taken her exams on a hospital bed, just 30 minutes after giving birth, BBC news confirms.

Almaz Derese, 21, from Metu in Western Ethiopia, could not write the exams earlier as she hoped for because of the Ramadan.

She, however, went into labour on Monday, June 11, 2019, before the first exam began.

Ms Derese said studying while pregnant was not a problem and she did not want to wait until next year to graduate, confirmed by BBC.

She took her English, Amharic, and Maths Secondary School exams in the hospital on Monday, and will sit for the remaining papers at the exam centre over the next two days.

"Because I was rushing to sit for the exam, my labour wasn't difficult at all," Ms. Derese told BBC.

Her husband, Tadese Tulu, said he had to persuade the school to allow her to write the exams at the hospital, disclosed by BBC.

In Ethiopia, it is prevalent for girls to drop out of Secondary School and return later to complete their studies, BBC stipulates.

Ms Derese now wants to take a two-year course that will prepare her for University.

She said she was pleased with how the exams went and her baby (son) is doing well.

Author: Theophilus Quaicoe