Education serves as a beacon that brightens the path from despair to brightness. It empowers individuals to break free from intergenerational poverty, unlocking opportunities for better jobs or self-employment. Children learn cultural values and beliefs through education, shaping their identity and future. Progress will unfold gradually but surely with a consistent dedication to regular school attendance. As a result, schools have the potential to act as powerful agents of social transformation. A dropout is an “ever-enrolled person” who is not currently enrolled in any educational institution and has not finished the highest degree of Education they enrolled in.
Many studies characterise dropout as a process rather than a sudden event, with various factors playing a part in students’ decision to stop attending school. Many Nigerian families are huge, with many mouths to feed. As a result, several young people leave school early to help with household chores and provide for their families. Older people who feel attending school will limit their ability to make money frequently drop out to find paid employment. Some kids drop out of primary school because they believe there’s no use in learning if all they’re going to do is work as their parents do.
Failure to succeed academically is another major cause of dropouts.
Also, school dropouts are largely influenced by social and cultural variables. First-generation students frequently experience difficulties when they come from families where no one has ever attended school. They have to reconcile principles that are at odds at home and school. Parents who don’t realise how important it is to be on time and show up to school put their kids in trouble and cause problems with discipline. Inadequate infrastructure, including classrooms, sanitary facilities, and secure learning environments, restricts student retention. Adolescent girls who experience bullying and unfavourable learning environments are more likely to drop out.
Girls are frequently forced to stay at home due to insufficient sanitary facilities and safety concerns. Girls may also drop out of school as a result of early marriages brought on by social, cultural, and gender issues. In addition, students who feel pressured to do well may become demotivated. A supportive educational atmosphere and a failure to establish healthy social ties are two more factors contributing to higher dropout rates. However, promoting awareness campaigns in cities, towns, and villages is crucial to addressing dropout rates. These campaigns aim to draw attention to the risks of Unemployment and Illiteracy and inform children about the negative consequences of dropping out.
Parental community involvement is key to decreasing dropout rates.
Improving Infrastructure can create a favourable learning environment, such as adding more classrooms, sanitising, providing clean drinking water, and providing adequate air, which will encourage students to attend class. Teachers are also essential when it comes to student engagement and retention. Teachers can improve classroom management, teaching skills, and student engagement strategies with regular training and professional development. Workshops, parent-teacher conferences, and community outreach initiatives aim to empower parents to take charge of their kids’ education. The divide between communities and schools can be closed by including local community leaders and organisations in educational initiatives.
Furthermore, many Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), including Teach for Nigeria, Street to School Initiative, and Slum2School Africa, are dedicated to providing quality education to underprivileged children in poor neighbourhoods, isolated areas, and on the streets. By incorporating out-of-school youth into the formal education system, offering skill development, and promoting equal education opportunities, these organisations ensure all children have access to learning opportunities. The Centre for Girls Education and Kids & Teens Resource Centre also work to promote Gender Equality in schools and provide support to vulnerable children in rural areas.
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Lastly, President Bola Tinubu promised that no student would leave a postsecondary institution because they couldn’t afford the fee. At the 33rd convocation ceremony of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) in Ondo State, Tinubu, accompanied by Terna Yawe from the National Universities Commission (NUC), emphasised his dedication to addressing the issues facing the education sector. He used the recently passed Student Loan Bill to prove his government’s commitment to helping students. “My government will not shirk its responsibilities in this area,” Tinubu declared.