School Dropout Rates Surpass 1 Million Students

[snoop1130]

 

In 2023, Thailand witnessed a significant increase in its student dropout rates, surpassing 1 million. This has been attributed to societal decline, political unrest, and an economic slowdown, which have forced parents to pull their children out of schools.

 

Sompong Jitradub, an educational scholar and board member of the Equitable Education Fund (EEF), warned that the situation regarding students dropping out was very severe this year. EEF data indicates that around 1,025,514 students withdrew from education in 2023, a drastic increase when compared to the annual dropout trend of over 500,000 in past years.

 

Many students typically leave school during the transition from lower to upper secondary education. However, there has been an upward trend at other stages, such as the shift from primary to secondary education or from lower secondary to vocational education.

 

Jitradub pointed out that the primary cause of dropping out is no longer solely poverty, as was the case in the past. The politics of the country, economic conditions, and the education system are all interlinked and causing this dropout phenomenon. With political instability creating a sense of uncertainty in job opportunities and investments, the stagnating economy is leading to societal decay. Furthermore, issues within the education system itself are also contributing to the increasing dropout rates.

 

 

To tackle this crisis, initiatives such as the "Thailand 0 Dropout" policy, a joint effort by the Ministry of Education and 11 other agencies, as well as the "Bring Children Back to School" policy by the Office of the Basic Education Commission, have been introduced. Nonetheless, these attempts to address the problem are falling behind the intensity of the situation.

 

Jitradub emphasized an urgent need for proactive measures to find children who have left the education system. Some of his proposed solutions include home visits, offering welfare benefits, sourcing scholarships, and creating employment opportunities for parents.

 

He also acknowledged that challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, such as job losses, mounting family debts, and a switch to online learning, have intensified the situation by causing a decline in learning and fostering negative social behaviors in students.

 

Ultimately, Jitradub identified that the core issues lie within the education system's structure, process, and curriculum assessment, creating obstacles for numerous children in accessing quality and fair education.

 

File photo for reference only

 

-- 2024-07-03

 

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[ikke1959]

NO wonder when there is no law enforcement and nobody cares if kids go to school or not. Not parents, not teachers, not government officials nobody and we see many kids  cycling around, or playing instead of being in school. But of course there many kids who have to help their parents to get an income or people with disabilities or grandparents.. The Government is to blame for this mismanagement.. See that the latest news is that disabled people get 10k a year... Disabled and sick people need much more as they need more washing, medication, transport to hospitals and doctors and so on. Parents have to work because the wages are too low so the kids have to help ...... Shame Thailand while there are people in your country that don't know what to do with all their money and not even want to pay tax of it to set up a decent program for help

[Tropicalevo]

1 hour ago, ikke1959 said:

nobody cares if kids go to school or not.

That may be true, but I am not so sure.

I thought that the school's budget was based on how many kids attend.

If the headcount drops - so does the budget.

Meaning less money available for corrupt officials to cream off the top.

I hope that I am wrong but.....

[BangkokReady]

2 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Jitradub pointed out that the primary cause of dropping out is no longer solely poverty, as was the case in the past. The politics of the country, economic conditions, and the education system are all interlinked and causing this dropout phenomenon. With political instability creating a sense of uncertainty in job opportunities and investments, the stagnating economy is leading to societal decay. Furthermore, issues within the education system itself are also contributing to the increasing dropout rates.

 

This very much sounds like it is still mainly about money.

[JimHuaHin]

For me, there are two points here.

 

Firstly, the powers that be in government (and the Bangkok-based bureaucrats) do not care about the plight of Thai people.  Keep the masses poor and ignorant, easier for the local and national power elite to control them.

 

Secondly, increasingly many Thais are realising that finishing high school or university does not deliver a "good" job.  Many employers of "blue" collar workers would prefer to employ a cheaper foreign/migrant worker than a local.  Completing a general university degree (unless in medical sciences) also does not deliver a "good" job.  I cannot remember the number of young Thais I have talked to who finish university and end up working in a 711 shop, Lotus's store, Makro, sales assistant in a mall shop, etc. and know of others who after 4 years of university study work in "nail shops", bars, etc.