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SCHOOL DROPOUT


School dropout is a concept that is used to refer to those students who stop attending class and are left out of the educational system. Desertion is the action of deserting: this implies abandoning obligations and separating from the gatherings that one used to frequent. The word school, for its part, refers to that which belongs to or is related to the student or the school.


Specialists from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) have considered that poverty (with children who are malnourished or must go out to work), exclusion and the poor capacity of schools to provide support are the main causes of school dropout. Another cause that can be mentioned, especially in rural areas or areas far from large cities, is distance. Many times, children must travel several kilometers to get to the educational center, which makes it difficult for them to attend class regularly.


School dropouts and families

The family is the one that exerts a key weight when it comes to a school-age child carrying out the aforementioned dropout. And the fact that he stops attending class is often related to the characteristics of his environment. Thus, when the child has few economic resources, does not have a fixed residence and also the parents do not have academic training, the factors arise for the child not to go to school.


However, this also occurs when, in addition to the aforementioned signs of identity, the minor does not find support for his education in his family, his parents do not show any interest in it, and also when his older siblings have dropped out of school. However, it is undeniable that this school dropout is significantly influenced by a series of factors that are relative to the child himself and that determine his lack of interest or motivation to go to class every day. Among those would be found, for example, that he has learning problems, that outside of the classroom he has to work and have adult responsibilities due to the situation that his own family is experiencing, that he has aggressive traits or that he has more interest in other things than in forming.


School dropout, a social problem

School dropout is a social problem. Those people who do not complete the mandatory training established by the State do not have the necessary knowledge to successfully enter the labor market. In this way, they can only aspire to obtain informal or precarious jobs, without the possibility of progress. It can be said that these individuals are at a disadvantage compared to those who did complete their school studies.


For children, access to education is a right. That is why dropping out of school turns the child into a victim. On the other hand, due to compulsory schooling, parents who allow a minor to leave school are responsible for this circumstance. Generally, school dropout is related to other social problems. There are parents who, due to lack of money, cannot send their child to school since they cannot cover the costs of transportation, food, study materials, etc. In turn, the need to generate income leads adults to make children work. This is how school dropouts occur. To avoid this, the State must guarantee that the family has access to the material resources necessary for their subsistence and so that the minor can complete their studies.


Types of school dropouts

Among them is that there are 5 types of school dropouts, which are:

  • Early dropout: the student has been accepted into a school program and never attends or completes his studies.
  • Early dropout: the student abandons the study program during the first 4 periods.
  • Late dropout: the student abandons the study program after the fifth period.
  • Total dropout: the student completely abandons an educational plan and never returns to it.
  • Partial dropout: the student temporarily withdraws and then resumes his studies.


Causes of school dropouts

School dropout is a social problem, and as such, it does not have a simple, single or specific cause; the truth is that according to research on educational lag, it is due to multiple factors. And, these factors can be conditioning factors, which facilitate or complicate the study, or determinants, which completely prevent the study. However, both factors are a set of socio-cultural and economic causes that generate very deep social reasons and cause students to abandon education. Among them we can mention:

  • Economic situation.
  • The family.
  • The motivation.
  • Aptitudes and abilities of the students.


Consequences of dropping out of school

School dropouts affect the cultural development and educational level of a society, making it weak for its development in all aspects. Because formal education is aimed at training the student with theoretical-practical knowledge that will allow him to function as a productive being and a good citizen. Consequently, by abandoning formal education, the individual loses this training that corresponds to his socialization process such as: education in ethical, moral, and civic values. Likewise, we must add to this the lack of professional training, which makes his ability to self-improve more difficult.