CONTRIBUTING FACTORS FOR SCHOOL DROPOUT IN PRIMARY SCHOOL; THE CAUSE OF JABI WOREDA, WEST GOJJAM, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

This study was conducted in primary schools in Jabi Woreda. The objective of the study is to investigate the social, economic and educational factors that associated with students’ dropout in primary schools. In conducting the research, qualitative and quantitative research methods were employed. The quantitative data were collected through structured interview. Structured questionnaires were administered for 405 respondents. From the population, 405 respondents were selected using the random sampling technique from 12 kebeles and 12 primary schools. The data was analyzed statistically using chi-square analysis. Surveys were used to measure parents, pupils and teacher perceptions and opinion on children dropout. The qualitative data was collected using open-ended questionnaires and interviewing parents, teachers and woreda education principals or expertise. The analysis was performed using statistical package for social science (16.0), and Hypotheses were formulated and tested by using the chi-square with 95% confidential interval was used to assess association between variables of social, economic and educational characteristic and school dropout. The results of the research indicated that there are three main factors influencing student’s dropout in primary school, to be more specific, they are: (i) social factors (large family size, parental education level, home/parental service, domestic work and agricultural activity). (ii) Economic factors (cost of uniform or cloths, cost of education materials and school payments). (iii) Educational or school factors (Inadequacy of classrooms, Lacks of textbooks, poor infrastructure/poor facility/, poor teaching and learning process). Finally, the combined effects of social, economic and educational or school factors were affecting children’s dropout from the school. Based on this finding, it was recommended that the Government, CBO, FBO and NGOs will be provided scholastic materials for the most marginalized or vulnerable students and improve school facility, improve community prrticipation to prevent children’s dropouts,improve quality of education, strengthen non-formal education and improving and creatring new income generating activity in the family.