Determinants of school dropout in the North West Province

Abstract

School dropout is a severe problem in South Africa and quite pronounced in the North-West province. School dropout is associated with a number of adverse outcomes such as lower employment rate due to poor level of education; chronically high unemployment levels and poverty, low incomes, higher risks of mortality and poor health outcomes. This study explores the determinants of school dropout in the North West province. The study used data from the Community Survey collected by Statistics South Africa in 2016 and this was coupled with Enrolment Rates and Dropout Rates data from 2012 and 2016 obtained from the Department of Education. Firstly, the study determined school dropout trends by different grades between 2012 and 2016. At bivariate level, the analysis used the chi-square statistic to determine the association between school dropout status and different demographic and socio-economic variables while the binary logistic regression was used at multivariate level to control for the effects of variables. The study found that school dropout rates differed significantly between the different school grades in the period between 2012 and 2016; highest among those enrolled for grade 10 and lowest among those in grade 12. Furthermore, the study revealed that, at individual level, school dropout rate was positively related with the age and significantly associated with sex, population group and religious belief of the individual. At household level, the study found that when both the father and mother were not part of the household the individual was significantly more likely to drop out of school while geographical type of residence was moderately associated with school dropout. While virtually all variables were significant at bivariate level, only age, sex, pregnancy status geographical place of residence and household level factors were significant at multivariate level (p< 0.05). The study recommend that additional programs be designed for those at risk of dropping from school especially at grades grade 10 and grades lower than that. Also, special attention should be paid to those who are at advanced ages and are still in school. Lastly, financial assistance for learners from poor backgrounds should be maintained.