144
N O N - E N R O L M E N T
A N D
S C H O O L
D R O P O U T
Conclusion
S E C T I O N 6 : C O N C L U S I O N A N D R E C O M M E N D AT I O N S
The right to education is a fundamental human right. This survey conducted, among the employees of schools and education institutions, has revealed the following common reasons for non-attendance or dropping out of primary and secondary school:
difficult financial situation within the family; lack of parental support;
bad interpersonal relationships within the family; loss of motivation and interest in education;
delinquent behaviour. The inadequate education of parents, marriage or common-law marriage and parents who expect their children to work were mentioned as reasons for non-attendance and dropping out of school in a number of cases. All of the reasons documented through the survey constitute a serious problem which should be given full attention by schools and other relevant institutions. In order to be able to find solutions to this problem it is necessary to identify those children and youths who fall within this category. This means that there should be a flow of information through an updated database and a network of institutions that deal with education and are able to identify such cases in order to enable the more efficient prevention of non-enrolment and school dropout. This unique database would significantly contribute to the elimination of non-attendance and dropping out of the education system. These activities would gather information that would enable an individual approach to each child who has dropped out of primary school or did not enrol in secondary school and facilitate his or her further education and also enable the resolution of this problem through a joint effort. According to the respondents, the largest group of children not attending primary school are Roma children followed by children from families in need. Where secondary schools were concerned, the largest group of children who did not attend secondary school were juvenile delinquents followed by the children from families in need. The majority of primary school dropouts were usually Roma children or children from families in need. The largest category of secondary school dropouts were juvenile delinquents and youths from families with disturbed interpersonal relationships. The most common method employed to convince pupils not to drop out of school were individual sessions with children and their parents. Different forms of financial and professional assistance were only rendered in cases that required such assistance, yet these cases were rare. The survey has lead to the conclusion that none of the institutions contacted maintain good quality comprehensive records on these phenomena and that communication with those children who either leave or do not attend school exists, but only between schools and the relevant institutions. What is missing is simultaneous communication and cooperation between all institutions. A more efficient resolution to this serious problem is only possible through the development of a single common database and the networking of institutions.