Solutions to reduce school-dropping

The economic situation, and also the school curriculum or changing teachers from one year to another, especially in the rural areas are among the reasons for dropping school.

According to the representatives of the Ministry of Education, at present, the dropout rate is around 2 percent with an increasing trend mostly in the villages.

Authorities and representatives of non-governmental organizations in the field have presented on Wednesday possible solutions for reducing dropout.

The disposals of the national education law could reduce dropout percentages, and also early school dropping, declared on Wednesday the State Secretary for pre-academic education, Oana Badea.

Thus, the mandatory status of the preparatory grade, graduating the ninth grade at secondary school, and also the programs "School after school" and "A second chance" will reduce total dropout and also early school dropping.

"The educational model that law 84, the old education law used to dispose, led in time to this percentage. There used to be a disposal stating that graduating to high school is done from the eighth grade to the ninth grade, so around the age of 13-14."

"The new education law proposes the solution of increasing secondary school with five years. Here you have another solution, strengthening early education. As you know, the national law of education generalizes pre-school education. This is a new provision that will prove fruitful in the future", Oana Badea declared.

An attractive curriculum for the children, "another solution"

An interesting curriculum for the children will also be able to reduce the number of absences and eventually diminish the rate of school dropout and early school dropping.

"The absenteeism which is not corrected in due time is a signal that we have a possible candidate for school dropping.

An inadequate curriculum which does not meet the children’s expectations is driving them away from school. Important steps are to be taken, so that the year 2012 marks sensible results in the curriculum reform", Oana Badea stated.

Among the reasons leading to school dropout, according to the ministry’s officials, next to money issues and poor education results, there is also the yearly change of teachers.

The law of education solves this issue by organizing the contest at a school level, the ministry’s officials currently claim.

Translated by: Manuela Stancu
MA Student, MTTLC, Bucharest University