Socio-Economic Determinants of School Dropouts: An Evidence from Households in Pakistan

The present study analyzed the determinants of children who dropped out from school in Pakistan, based on PSLM microdata. The study employed the advanced econometric technique “the logistic regression model “to identify the correlates of the problem; thereby analyzing the marginal effects of the multiple attributes. The analyses show that a female child is more likely to dropout from school as compared to a male child. The education of the household head is also a significant contributor to reducing dropouts. Mother education also reduces the chances of a child to dropout from school. An employed mother will increase the chance of a child to dropout from school as compared with the unemployed mother. Other factors which reduce the chances of child dropouts from school are the female household head, lower distance from middle and secondary school, household wealth, and per capita household income. If household head belongs to agriculture sector then there are more chances that their child dropped out from school. Household economic condition is also a very important factor in reducing dropouts. If the economic condition of a household is better off than before then there is less chance of the child to dropout from school. Similarly, the economic situation of the community where the household resides also affects dropouts. If the community’s economic situation is better than before then it reduces the chance of child dropout.

Student Involvement in Community Activities Related to Educational Programs

The development of the object of study of citizenship education material is not fixed in classrooms carried out in formal schools, but can also be carried out in community activities known as socio-cultural citizenship. This is the purpose of this study by describing the application of civic education in the social sphere, namely the involvement of students from various universities who are members of the Atap Senja Community School. The method used is a case study on student involvement in community activities related to educational programs carried out in the community. The results of this study indicate that the concept of civic civic education can be carried out by involving community civic education that develops in the community, namely the Atap Senja Community School in Yogyakarta. This community consists of students from various universities in Yogyakarta. Activities carried out by providing learning assistance and attention to the development of morality for children who do not receive formal education at school. Funding for activities carried out by this community comes from membership fees or what has been called volunteers. The activities carried out by this community are proof of the participation of young citizens in changing the educational conditions of school dropouts, with various kinds of financial limitations. This can be interpreted as a form of civic engagement with the state, because indirectly these community activities will also affect and improve the conditions of education in Indonesia.

Creating change through social entrepreneurship: the case of girls’ school dropouts in Uganda

Subject area This case focusses on social innovation and social entrepreneurship in Africa, specifically looking at behavioural characteristics of social entrepreneurs, their motivations to create social value and the application of personal initiative theory. The case discusses the self-starting proactiveness and innovation traits of the social entrepreneur. The social business model canvas will be used to analyse the social enterprise’s business model. Study level/applicability Students of social entrepreneurship, development studies, sustainable livelihoods and asset-based development. It is useful for customised or short programmes on social entrepreneurship or for students with a background in business wanting to understand social enterprise as a vehicle for social and economic change. As such, this case is written for Business Management and Entrepreneurship undergraduates or students of elective courses in social entrepreneurship (“understanding” and “remembering” learning activities under Bloom’s taxonomy). When personal initiative theory is used, the case provides an initial understanding of social entrepreneurship in a less developed context for post-graduate students and may be used for higher-order learning activities (“analysing” and “applying”). Case overview The case tells the story of Dr Engr Moses Musaazi, who is a Social Entrepreneur and Managing Director of Technology for Tomorrow (T4T). Troubled with the persistent social problems in his country. Musaazi, through T4T, strived for social innovations to reduce school dropouts of Ugandan girls. While exploring Moses’ journey for solving persistent social problems through social innovations, students will be able to understand, remember, analyse and apply Dees’ (2001) social entrepreneurial behaviours and Santos’ (2012) theory of social entrepreneurship. The case discusses what motivates African social entrepreneurs to start a social venture (Ghalwash, Tolba, & Ismail, 2017). Students will apply personal initiative theory to identify the social entrepreneurial behaviours displayed in the creation of social ventures. To exemplify and analyse the different components of social ventures’ business model, the social business model canvas by Sparviero (2019) will be introduced. Expected learning outcomes The teaching objectives are Objective 1. Students are able to remember, understand, identify and apply the social entrepreneurial behaviours as defined by Dees (2001) and the elements of Santos’ (2012) theory of social entrepreneurship to Dr Moses Musaazi’s case as a social entrepreneur. Objective 2. Students remember, understand and identify what motivates social entrepreneurs in less developed economies to create social value (Ghalwash et al., 2017). Objective 3. Early-stage postgraduate students are able to apply and analyse (also evaluate and create for higher-level post-graduates) personal initiative theory to explain the emergence of social entrepreneurial behaviour and especially how innovation, self-starting and proactiveness may lead to social entrepreneurial venture start-up (Frese, Kring, Soose, & Zempel, 1996). Objective 4. Students use the social business model canvas (Sparviero, 2019) as a tool to understand, analyse and improve a social-enterprise business model. Supplementary materials Supplementary learning materials are provided in the Teaching Note (Table 1). Table1, which includes videos and their description. Also, a link to Uganda’s sustainable development index is provided (the focus is sustainable development goals [SDGs] 3: Good health and well-being, SDG 4: Quality Education, SDG 5: Gender equality, SDG 10: Reduced inequalities). Subject code CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

Education for non-citizen children in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted schooling for children worldwide. Most vulnerable are non-citizen children without access to public education. This study aims to explore challenges faced in achieving education access for children of refugee and asylum-seekers, migrant workers, stateless and undocumented persons in Malaysia during the pandemic. In-depth interviews of 33 stakeholders were conducted from June 2020 to March 2021. Data were thematically analysed. Our findings suggest that lockdowns disproportionately impacted non-citizen households as employment, food and housing insecurity were compounded by xenophobia, exacerbating pre-existing inequities. School closures disrupted school meals and deprived children of social interaction needed for mental wellbeing. Many non-citizen children were unable to participate in online learning due to the scarcity of digital devices, and poor internet connectivity, parental support, and home learning environments. Teachers were forced to adapt to online learning and adopt alternative arrangements to ensure continuity of learning and prevent school dropouts. The lack of government oversight over learning centres meant that measures taken were not uniform. The COVID-19 pandemic presents an opportunity for the design of more inclusive national educational policies, by recognising and supporting informal learning centres, to ensure that no child is left behind.

The Influence of Family Leadership on Girl- Child School Dropout

Family leadership is one of the vital aspects that influences and determines both the wellbeing and successful education of a girl-child. Unfortunately, the role of family leadership in ensuring girls' education is oversimplified into getting girls enrolled in school rather than warranting their perseverance in learning and successful completion. As a result, many communities in Tanzania, especially those in rural and marginalized areas are experiencing persistent girl–child school dropouts. It is against this standpoint that we sought to find out how family leadership may influence secondary school girls’ dropouts. We also explored possible measures which should be employed to eliminate girl-child school dropouts. In conducting this study, we employed a mixed research approach and convergent parallel design. We collected data through interviews and questionnaires involving 143 respondents including girl students, teachers, heads of schools, and district educational officers. Our findings from this study indicate that while the government of Tanzania has made remarkable efforts to ensure girls’ continuity and successful completion of secondary education, there are a number of factors hindering girls’ continuity and completion of secondary education. Weak family leadership, the improper raising of the children, less emphasis and interest on the importance of girls’ education, limited cooperation between family leadership were among the reason for continuous girl-child school dropout. Hence, based on our findings and the significance of girl’s education as well as the role which parents should play in ensuring girls achievement of education, we appeal to various educational leaders, to make strategic efforts in raising more awareness among rural and marginalized communities about the importance of educating girls and the role of family leadership in bringing to an end the phenomena of girl-child school dropout which is catastrophic to the long-awaited sustainable development. Moreover, we call upon all parents, to make intentional efforts in mentoring and influencing girls to strive towards achieving formal education

Second chance schools: background, training and current instructional practices of teachers

PurposeThe objective of the present study was to assess which teachers hired to teach secondary school dropouts are most likely to adapt their practices to match their students' characteristics. Chile recently initiated a system “second chance” schools for dropouts. Most of the teaching staff were recruited from the secondary schools from which the students had withdrawn. There was little variation in instructional practices or schedules. The second chance schools provide intensive instruction, small classes and flexibility in schedules and sequence of courses. The study sought to identify the teachers most likely to adapt old practices or learn new ones in order to provide students a different educational experience than that offered in conventional secondary schools.Design/methodology/approachThe sampling design for this study was developed by the Statistics Department of the Ministry of Education. Taking enrollment into account, they randomly selected second chance schools from 13 of Chile's 16 regions. Then, they randomly selected 617 teachers from 38 of the selected schools. The teachers were invited to respond to a self-administered survey questionnaire that covered beliefs about and attitudes toward dropouts, and frequency of use of different teaching methods. The analytical procedures used include nonparametric correlations and logit regression.FindingsTeaching methods in the second chance schools are influenced mostly by type of in-service training and not by student characteristics. Most teachers expect most students to graduate; teachers with more years of teaching are the least optimistic.Originality/valueRelatively little research on second chance schools has been published in Latin America. The Second Opportunity Schools are the first effort in Chile to provide public secondary school to dropouts. The study provides detailed information about background and training linked to current teachers' instructional practices. The findings suggest actions that can be taken to improve the new schools.

A Basic Right Denied: The Interplay Between Various Factors Contributing to School Dropouts in Pakistan

Enshrined in different conventions nationally and internationally, education is a fundamental right of every child irrespective of identity and location worldwide. Despite the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) 1948 and the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989, education is not accessible and affordable for every child globally due to several entwined factors. Focusing on Pakistan’s Sindh Province, this article identifies the numerous factors that lead to school dropouts and illustrates their interconnectedness. Employing Sen’s Capabilities Approach, we show a relation between freedom and function, whereby a capability can only be a function if there is an opportunity. We conclude and suggest that since the basic right of education is denied in Pakistan owing to sociocultural, economic, and political factors, there is a need to make necessary efforts at the parental as well as national policy level to address it. We also ask for ethnographically rich studies that should comparatively and thoroughly bring this dropout problem to the center stage for generating a comprehensive understanding so that this basic right is given to every child of this country.

Does substance use by family members and community affect the substance use among adolescent boys? Evidence from UDAYA study, India

Background Substance use among adolescents is risky behavior that had emerged as a concern in both developed and developing countries. Evidence revealed that substance use is more frequent among those adolescents whose immediate family members (parents, siblings and grandparents) also indulge in such consumption; however, scarce literature is present in the Indian context. Therefore, the present study examined whether substance use among family members and in the community is associated with the substance use behavior of adolescent boys in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Method We used the data for 5969 adolescent boys aged 10–19 years from the Understanding the Lives of Adolescents and Young Adults (UDAYA) survey conducted in 2016. A three-level random intercept logit model was utilized to understand the association of adolescent substance use behavior with familial and community context. Results We found that 16% of adolescent boys were using any substance (tobacco or alcohol or drug). The substance use was significantly higher among adolescent boys who were school dropouts (40%) than those who were currently in school. The prevalence of substance use is also high among those who were working (35%). Moreover, 19, 24 and 28% of the adolescents come from families where at least one of the family members consumed tobacco, alcohol and drugs, respectively. The odds of substance use were 2.13 times [CI:1.44–3.17] higher among those adolescent boys whose family members also indulged in substance use. Moreover, the likelihood of substance use was 1.24 times [CI:1.01–1.68] higher among the adolescent boys who come from a community with high substance use. Additionally, the risk of substance use is more likely among adolescent boys belonging to the same household of the same community. Conclusion It is evident that exposure to substance use in the family and community increases the likelihood of substance use among adolescent boys. There is a need for household- and community-level programmatic interventions to alleviate the risk of substance use among adolescents.