School dropout rate is increasing in the Republic of Moldova. Psychologist's opinion
Data from the Ministry of Education and Research (MEC) show that in the second semester of the 2023-2024 academic year, about 250 students aged between 7 and 16 left school before completing their studies. Psychology specialists point out that school dropout is based on multiple causes, from economic and social difficulties to psychological problems.
The school dropout rate is increasing, especially in grades V-IX, data from the Ministry of Education and Research (MEC) show. Among the most vulnerable are children from disadvantaged families, those of Roma ethnicity and those who migrate with their parents.
According to the MEC report, of the 250 students who dropped out of school in the second semester of the last academic year, the majority of them, 63, are from Chisinau, followed by the city of Nisporeni, where approximately 30 children have dropped out of school, most of them in gymnasium.
Psychologist Lilia Dubita warns about the long-term risks of this phenomenon since in the future these children will not have access to higher education and will encounter difficulties in the process of social integration.
“The risk of them ending up in delinquency situations, including addictions of various kinds, such as alcohol, drugs and other phenomena, is very high.” The psychologist suggests two ways in which parents can motivate children to study: active involvement in their school life and short-term support by encouraging positive approaches. “Parents, first of all, can do this by their example, by showing that their job, social activity, is very valuable. When parents say that their life is complicated or that working is hard, children have the same projection. Parents can motivate through two sources. The first source is to pay much more attention to the school system, for parents to go to school, communicate with teachers, and see how the child is doing. The second is to try to motivate the child in the short term. When you tell them, look, your school results help you train your mental ability or, look, let's negotiate, for example, an advantage that this parallel study process be a form of play".
The psychologist emphasizes that school should be perceived by children as a "gym" for their intellect, a place where they can develop not only intellectual skills, but also emotional and social ones.
"Just as athletes go to the gym, the same way school is the area where we develop intellectual and emotional skills. Every child must understand that he is a superhero and has a phenomenal ability, and school can discover this ability", explained the specialist.
Lilia Dubița also notes that preventing school dropout requires collaboration between adolescents, parents, teachers and authorities. Each of us can contribute to building an educational environment in which young people feel safe and motivated to learn.
