Approximately 200 000 students dropped out of school within six months due to teen pregnancy, substance abuse, Covid-19 anxiety, and poor foundations, among other reasons.
This was revealed to the National Council of Provinces by the Basic Education Deputy Minister Dr Makgabo Reginah Mhaule.
The Basic Education Deputy Minister, MECs and departmental officials were addressing the NCOP about learner dropout rates since the start of the pandemic.
“The long term priority, made more urgent by the Covid-19 pandemic, is to deal with the fundamental cause of dropout, which is a weak learning foundation.”
She added that School Governing Bodies have the right to hold parents accountable if their children stop attending school.
Researchers have also said that high-quality data can help in understanding the complexities surrounding these issues. They further stated that implementing early-warning systems could also help educators identify the warning signs that will enable them.
The NCOP also heard that about 100 and 20 000 learners fall pregnant every year and only a third return to school after giving birth.
In response to this, the Cabinet has recently approved a teenage pregnancy policy that will be implemented from January next year. The policy will allow learners who fell pregnant to return to school sooner.
