JEDDAH, 24 April 2006 — A new study has revealed that the number of high school dropouts in the Makkah region has reached 52 percent, mainly because of the students’ inability to cope with the curriculum and the harsh behavior of teachers.
The study, conducted by the Social Service Department of the Umm Al-Qura University and published by Al-Madinah newspaper on Saturday, found that 58 percent of the dropouts were aged between 20 and 26. It also found that 56 percent of students left school in the first year itself.
The study said the reasons for the growing dropout rate in the middle of the academic year included the lack or low level of education of many parents, combined with their low income.
Poor teacher-student relations, a heavy academic syllabus and tough examinations were also factors that discouraged many students from continuing their education.
Other reasons cited in the study were the lack of transportation to far-away schools, the absence of interesting extracurricular activities and peer pressure.
Some students grew disinterested in studies because of family problems, such as quarrels between parents or other family members.
Others found pursuing their education difficult because they spend lot of their time watching television.
Poverty was one major factor that stood in the way of students continuing their education. Some 43 percent of the students surveyed said their family’s income was hardly enough to meet their requirements.
About 19 percent of the students had to work part-time to meet their personal expenses.
An examination of the monthly income of the parents of the dropouts showed that 47 percent of them earned between SR200 and SR400, 25 percent between SR400 and SR600 and 15 percent between SR1,000 and SR1,500. Only 20 percent of them had earned between SR4,000 and SR5,000 and 20 percent between SR6,000 and SR8,000.
The study recommeded intensive awareness programs to educate parents about the importance of the uninterrupted school education for their children. It also called for programs to train teachers in better relationships with students. Teachers should try to understand the problems of their students and treat them with sympathy, the study said.
The study said it was important for teachers and parents to have regular meetings in order to establish a rapport. It also recommended measures to allay students’ worries related to educational expenses.
It said school buses should be allocated to transport students from distant places and the syllabus must be modified to suit the intellectual level of the students.
