Johannesburg- While applications for grade 1 and grade 8 overspill every year – not even half of the children reach matric.
This shocking statistic was revealed by Merle Mansfield, the programme director of the Zero Dropout Campaign, an information hub that is part of the DG Murray Trust, which is looking at why children drop out and coming up with solutions to keep them in school.
Mansfield said while matriculants are celebrated every year, there’s little reflection on those who do not even reach grade 12.
“There are still too few Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions, which are also expensive and inaccessible to many. Most of them also admit only those with matric certificates. Our foundation learning is poor and this spirals and leads to the high unemployment rate,” she said.
Research done by the Zero Dropout Campaign before the Covid-19 pandemic showed that almost 400 000 children had fallen out of the system between 2018 and 2019.
Mansfield said the organisation’s goal, with the support of the Department of Basic Education, is to half the dropout rate by 2030. She said the Covid-19 pandemic has made the problem even worse, with the foundation phase having lost up to 75% of learning.
Zero Dropout Campaign this week, through its research and partnership with various stakeholdres, developed a toolkit to guide schools on how to identify pupils who are at risk of dropping out.
The toolkit is free and available for use by all public primary and secondary schools in South Africa.
It is also to be used by all stakeholders.
Mansfield explained that as a knowledge hub, it collaborated with a number of non-profit organizations to test models of intervention to prevent dropout.
“In this way, we are focused on identifying and demonstrating what it takes to help learners complete grade 12 by developing policy options at a macro level, as well as on-the-ground interventions. We have taken a proactive approach to addressing dropout [rates] by promoting interventions with a track record of success. A prime example is our Reading for Meaning programme, which focuses on a child’s learning needs rather than their age or grade. In an effort to drive a whole-of-society approach to reducing the rate of dropout, our outreach teams are also mobilizing a network of educators, parents and learners to work together to find solutions to the everyday issues driving the dropout rate,” she said.
Mansfield said four years of groundwork has shown promise in several rural areas, especially in the uMgungundlovu district in KwaZulu-Natal and in Paarl and Swellendam in Western Cape.
“Seven schools in the uMgungundlovu district had a high prevalence of pregnancy. Through a memorandum of understanding with clinics, youth programmes were set up for young people to access sexual reproductive assistance and advice from clinics on certain days. On these days, only the youth are accommodated with no judgement. We saw a significant drop in pregnancy and girls returning to school,” said Mansfield.
She said the most common occurrence for school dropout is repeat learners who often are embarrassed because they are older than their peers. “Grade 10 and 11 is where you see a spike of repeat learners and they fall out of the system.”
She said the toolkit provides a valuable roadmap that promotes school engagement and completion.
“It can also be used by district and circuit officials who are working with schools to prevent dropout. It will help non-government organizations and other stakeholders working with schools to understand how they can assist and what their roles should be.
“It provides a range of resources to help schools make a difference in four key areas including absenteeism tracking and psychosocial support.” said Mansfield.
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