Preventing high school dropouts in La Paz and El Alto - The causes, consequences, and prevention strategies of school desertion in Bolivia.

Abstract

School desertion is one of the major challenges that the Bolivian education sector is facing, especially in secondary education. Statistics show that the rate of school desertion in Bolivia dropped from 10% to less than 6% over the last decade. However, education experts indicate that less than half of all adolescents in Bolivia graduate from high school with a diploma. This thesis aims to research the current causes and consequences of school desertion in secondary education in Bolivia, and the diversity of prevention strategies that is currently in place.

Main findings and conclusions School desertion is a complex process: every drop out has a personal story in which different stakeholders, causes, motivations, and contextual factors interact that result in the student quitting school. The main causes of school desertion in Bolivia can be divided into two categories: inschool and out of school causes. The in‐school causes are those within the school environment, out of school causes are those influences caused by political, economic, and family issues as well as involvement in criminal activity. The most influential in‐school causes are: (1) Accessibility: the supply of schools and their accessibility. This is not so much a problem in urban areas, since secondary schools are numerous. However, in rural areas of the country this is problematic: the people live spread over a large area where schools are not always close by and hard to reach. (2) The facilities, resources, and maintenance: many schools are in a poor state of maintenance, know a lack of school supplies (books, computers), lack of teachers, and are a depressing/boring environment for the students. (3) The quality of education, teaching, and learning outcomes: many students complained on the quality of education and teaching which influences their motivation negatively. (4) Safety: both at school and in school transportation the safety of the students is not always guaranteed. Cases of abuse (physical, psychological, or sexual) in school by students or education personnel or on the way to school have been frequently reported. (5) The school ambience: discrimination and bullying of students by other students or education personnel is still common. The most important out of school causes of school desertion are: (1) The household context: the household composition, the education level of the parents, the control and support of the parents, and family problems are all factors that may contribute to school desertion; (2) Income and financial circumstances: the direct and opportunity costs of school compared to the benefits of attending school are reasons for not attending school. (3) The cultural context: gender: traditionally education is seen as less important for girls than for boys. Nowadays most people see the value of secondary education as equal for both boys and girls, but traditional viewpoints are still present. (4) Health: health problems of students are often not the prime reason to drop out of school, but are a result of other influencing causes such as poverty and household circumstances. (5) Teen pregnancies: teen pregnancies are the main cause for female students to drop out of high school. Other out of school causes for school desertion are the consumption of alcohol, and the involvement in gangs or criminal activity.

The prevention strategies that are in place are of a diverse nature: some are national governmental programs, others are locally or personally initiated, and all tackle a different aspect. The government is seen as the main duty bearer to implement initiatives to combat school desertion. The most important initiatives of the Bolivian government are the recent education reforms by president Morales (including teacher training), and the implementation of nutritional and CCT programs. Local governments, such as the municipality in El Alto, have these types of programs in place as well. At an even more local level, in the schools, the prevention strategies vary per school and individual. School directors and teachers actively try to prevent school desertion by informing, motivating, and talking to the students and their parents. Other strategies include the organization of extracurricular and festive activities, school transportation, and sexuality education.

The effectiveness of all different strategies varies: it is important though to keep in mind the different factors that interact in the complex process of school desertion. Many causes that are not being tackled by national/local government programs are being tackled by individual initiatives.