Why Students Drop Out?

    Every year many students are dropping out of the educational system, this problem affects young people, especially in their first year in high school. Consequently, when these students leave the school their possibility to get a good job is limited, and the country's development decreases. Dropout rates are increasing, and their causes are economic, social, and individual.

First of all, students are leaving school and going to work. This condition affects families whose parents have low-level of education and therefore have low-income. Children from low socioeconomic backgrounds, leave high school without graduating, and as a result, the cycle of poverty continues into the next generation. Furthermore, this problem is greatest in poor and marginal communities. Despite government's efforts to develop programs to prevent early high school dropout rates, the problem persists, nonetheless. For instance, in Costa Rica, 63000 families didn't send their children to school last year. Economics is the main reason for early high school dropout, and programs have not been sufficient to reduce it.

Statistics of unemployment in Costa Rica. El Financiero, 2016

Another important cause for early high school dropout is the lack of importance families place upon education. The lack of support from students' family affects the student's academic performance, moreover when they don't have control over the grades and advance of their children. This situation is even worse when two parents are not in the household, in those cases; students will feel disinterest and apathy about the school. Under those circumstances, parents will lose authority and will turn difficult to set limits for them. Additionally, communication between teachers and parents is essential. If the student feels that his parents value education and the teacher is interested in having the student succeed, then the student will try to improve because he now feels obligated to not disappoint his parents and teachers.

      Finally, demotivation is another cause of dropout. Because of a poor academic performance, they become frustrated and discouraged. For example, in Costa Rica, 12% of students abandon their studies due to this cause every year. Together with lower results, learning problems cause school desertion. Not to mention, an inappropriate evaluation system doesn't consider individual differences; thus, teachers should apply adjustments according to learners' needs. Of course, teaching methods should be interesting and engaged, but topics are repetitive and worrying. For this reason, educational innovations should be introduced in schools to obtain better results and reduce the dropout rate.

     In conclusion, the causes of dropout are diverse. The economic situation that forces students to get a job, lack of support from their families and teachers, and demotivation caused by traditional learning methods should concern everyone. Education institutions, teachers, families, and society must work together to avoid young people continue to leave the formal school and propose solutions to reduce the level of desertion.