No progress in addressing school dropouts, says report

South Africa still has a long way to go in the fight against school dropout, a new report, School Dropout: Advocacy to Action, reveals.

- Thando Nondywana

The report launched by Zero Dropout Campaign yesterday highlighted pregnancy, drug abuse, financial struggles, peer pressure and pupils not coping academically remained among the leading reasons for school dropout rates.

According to Merle Mansfield, programme director for Zero Dropout Campaign, the 2024 report conducted across the country showed the overall dropout rate of 33% by respondents was not far from the 40% estimated in the basic education system.

“We had anticipated that, in line with General Household Survey, more people would give financial reasons as to why they think pupils drop out and surprisingly it didn’t feature prominently. It seems we are not necessarily winning the fight against dropouts. Part of this involves shifting perceptions around dropout,” she said.

“In all clusters, there was an acceptance that not all children will finish school, normalising the phenomenon of dropouts. Winning the battle starts with changing this perception and exploring options for pupils who aren’t academically inclined while creating pathways for them,” she said.