A large number of school students drop-out after high-school for different reasons. Some don’t find it pacifying to their life goals and others are not able to balance their economic condition and studies. Although, it has been observed that school dropout rate at primary level has reduced from 5.6% in 2012-13 to 4.3% in 2014-15. However, if we go by numbers as per UNESCO report, 47 million youth drop-out by 10th grade. Enrolment in the higher grades also declines significantly. This problem is not only prevalent in rural areas, but also in urban areas. Even students from well to do families drop out from schools and take up other ways to grow their life. Even if not a very big educational problem, still it is affecting lives of several thousands of students who could otherwise do well in their career. The problem can’t be cited as students’ academic troubles, instead, there is a need to ponder over the issue and find out the relevant solutions to the problem.

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What is the major problem?

After talking to students who dropped out, different reasons came into existence which revealed a different picture of Indian education system. One of the students said that he was studying just to get a government job so that he can earn and survive along with his family. All the government jobs require a minimum education which these students fulfill and drop-out. Another student had a different story. According to him, he was going to continue doing his traditional work and he was already skilled in the work and education was taking up his lots of time. This made him leave his schooling and join hands with his father and grand-father to support the family occupation. One more student told his story that he did not like his school. His teachers forced him to study which he did not like. There are several such stories which from the perspective of students seem to be alright.

However, another question arises, what if these students had done graduation. Would they have been in a better position career-wise?

Realising solutions

Students at this age are generally highly receptive to any advice that is given to them. Now, it depends on what kind of advice they are being given and what atmosphere they are receiving for nurturing. If a student is regularly listening about starting to earn money, then he will focus more on getting a job with minimum education and not focus on his studies. At this stage, a student needs an expert advice which can guide him/ her about the prospects of higher studies and how they can pursue them. Another important discussion that a student requires at this stage is the financial aid that is being provided by the government for the needy children. It has been observed that a major reason for leaving schooling in between is financial trouble. Many students find it better to start a job instead of investing time in schooling from where they can’t earn anything.

Students can be guided about the government schemes that have been made to help the students financially. Also, they can be taught about career prospects after they finish their higher studies and what kind of salaries they can expect after completing their schooling. This can be very well done through career counselling at an early stage. Students can be motivated and encouraged about their career. They can be told about education loan policies. Also, they can be given a clear direction for their career. Many students find their studies un-appealing and for such students, career counselling can prove to be a boon. They can be guided by the experts about the career options they can select after a specific school education.

How to implement

Career counselling should be made an essential element of Indian education system. Instead of considering career counselling as an option session, each and every student should be given an access to it whether they are studying in rural or urban areas. Also, it should be made mandatory for the students from class 6th so that they can be guided about the importance of studies from an early stage. The nature of guidance can be made more in-depth with the increasing grades of the students; however, all students should be made aware of the career prospects that they have. This one step can decrease the drop-out percentage of the students and can help the students to perform better academically as well as career wise.

In addition, the government should think about providing financial support to the students who are in dire financial troubles. There can be part-time jobs within the school campus to support the students. Also, they can be given skill training along sides which can increase their employability. This will encourage more and more students to continue their studies.

For further queries and related information, you can approach the Professional Experts at CareerGuide. Hope this will help you!