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BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
In 2001, the Department of Education, through its Education Management Information System (EMIS), reported that there was an indication of a possible high drop-out rate of learners between Grades 1 and 11 in South African schools (Department of Education, June 2003:16). This observation is supported by Kraak’s study, which suggested that of the estimated 826 000 learners who register in schools each year, about 551 000 of them do not finish their schooling (Kraak, 2003:13). School drop-outs are not only a challenge for the General and/or Further Education and Training phase of the school system, but also for Higher Education. Letseka and Maile suggest that in the year 2000, around 30% (36 000) of the students registered in higher education did not complete their studies, translating to an estimated R4.5 billion loss (Letseka & Maile, 2008:5).
Schooling is the key to a person’s development, not only socially within a community or society, or economically in terms of the labour market and business, but also as it prepares individuals for higher education (Arends & Perry, 2003). When a person succeeds in schooling at a particular stage of an education system, he/she is equipped to pursue further studies at a higher stage in the system.
Schooling by its very nature contributes not only to the attainment of knowledge, But directly and indirectly develops the skills needed for the world of work. Letseka and Maile (2008:xi) suggest that ‘education leads to accelerated human development, poverty reduction and sustainable economic growth’.
Education is the suggested means of developing the skills and knowledge necessary in the world of work, personal richness and social value. According to the Economic Commission for Africa (2005:173), the education levels of the youth in Africa remain one of the ‘significant factors in the longer unemployment spells they face’.
Entry into the world of work is largely associated with academic achievement. While people with lower levels of education are also likely to be employed, their chances are limited in comparison with those of their educated counterparts. The earning potential of the two groups (those with higher levels of education and those with lower) is generally different. Those with higher levels of education tend to earn more or have the potential to earn more than those who have not stayed at school.
Investing in education on the part of government has economic benefits for the country. A study done by KPMG (2009), looking inter alia at the funding of higher education in Australia, suggests that investment in education benefits the country’s GDP. The report suggests that while governments invest in education in the present, the benefit they experience is the long-term effect of the return on investment when the students start working. For countries that invest very little in education, the rate of return in the investment is very low. There is also a low return on their investment for countries that have high numbers of students who drop out of school. In short, dropping out is a cost to government and not an investment. While this is an Australian study, it has potential merit in other countries.
Kolev and Saget (2005:161) suggest that a lack of access to the world of work affects a person economically, socially and emotionally. They suggest that ‘a troubled entry into the world of work has serious welfare repercussions for youth, including a higher risk of income poverty and deterioration of their human and social capital’.
The level and quality of schooling are among the main factors that determine a person’s future participation in the labour market, and education is deemed to be a main determinant of the ability to earn (Chamberlain & van de Berg, 2002). The completion of schooling is thus critical for youth development and their adjustment to life in society.
In 1996 South Africa ruled that every South African child should undergo at least nine years of schooling. These nine years are designated as a period of basic education and training, which according to the Dakar Framework on Education (UNESCO, 2005) is a critical period of education for the youth. According to Chapter 2 Section 1 of the South African Schools Act of 1996 …every parent must cause every learner for whom he or she is responsible to attend a school from the first school day of the year in which such learner reaches the age of seven years until the last school day of the year in which such learner reaches the age of fifteen years or the ninth grade, whichever occurs first (SASA, 1996: Chapter 2, section 1).
The Act further mandates the Head of Department (HOD) to take action should a learner – within the specified age group – fail to attend school. Specifically, the Act stipulates that the HOD must …investigate the circumstances of the learner’s absence from school; take appropriate measures to remedy the situation; and failing such a remedy, issue a written notice to the parent of the learner requiring compliance with the subsection (SASA, 1996: Chapter 2, section 1).
Despite the provision and intent of the SASA policy, post-apartheid South Africa has seen an increase in learner drop-outs (DoE, 2001). Researchers have argued that the increase in the magnitude of the phenomenon of learner drop-outs can be ascribed to a variety of reasons which differ within different contexts, but that in general the numbers are greater in rural communities and among the Black population subgroup.
CHAPTER 1: GIVING CONTEXT TO THE STUDY
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
1.2 PROBLEM FORMULATION .
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY .
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS .
1.5 CLARIFICATION OF CONCEPTS
1.5.1 Career destinations
1.5.2 School-to-work transition
1.5.3 Youth labour market
1.5.4 Drop-outs/out-of-school
1.5.5 Drop-in.
1.5.7 Education training and development
1.5.8 Pathways, experiences and factors
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
1.7 ORGANISATION AND OVERVIEW OF CHAPTERS
1.8 SUMMARY
CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES ON YOUTH DROP-OUT AND DROP-IN SCHOOL BEHAVIOURS
2.1 INTRODUCTION
2.2. THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES ON YOUTH SCHOOL DROP-OUT/DROP-IN BEHAVIOUR
2.3. APPLICATION OF THE THEORETICAL MODELS TO THE SOUTH AFRICAN SITUATION
CHAPTER 3: EMPIRICAL PERSPECTIVES ON YOUTH DROP-OUT AND DROPIN BEHAVIOURS
3.1. INTRODUCTION
3.2. COMPARING LEARNER DROP-OUT CAUSES IN SOUTH AFRICA WITH THOSE IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD
3.3. THE CONSEQUENCES OF LEAVING SCHOOL
3.4. THE EXTENT OF AND MOTIVES FOR SCHOOL DROP-INS
3.5. DROP-OUTS AND THE LABOUR MARKET CHALLENGES IN SOUTH AFRICA
3.6 POLICY AND PROGRAMMES SUPPORTING SCHOOL DROP-IN IN SOUTH AFRICA
3.7 SUMMARY
CHAPTER 4: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
4.1. INTRODUCTION
4.2. RESEARCH PARADIGM
4.3. RESEARCH DESIGN .
4.4. METHODS
4.5. MEASURES TO ENSURE TRUSTWORTHINESS .
4.6. ETHICAL MEASURES .
4.7. METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES AND LIMITATIONS
4.8. SUMMARY
CHAPTER 5: RESEARCH FINDINGS
CHAPTER 6: DISCUSSION OF THE FINDINGS
CHAPTER 7: CONCLUDING CONSIDERATIONS
REFERENCES
