SCHOOL DROP-OUTS

Mdm Claire Chiang See Ngoh asked the Minister for Education (a) how many students dropped out of the education chain in 1998 and the first half of 1999; (b) what is the profile of the school leavers; (c) what measures are being undertaken to keep them in school; (d) among the 5,640 students who dropped out between 1995 and 1997, how many had been counselled and allowed to return to schools; and (e) whether there was any attempt to reach the rest of the drop-outs to monitor their educational and personal development.

The Minister for Education (RAdm Teo Chee Hean): Mr Speaker, Sir, the number of students who drop out of our schools has been on a downward trend over the years. At the primary level, the number of such students decreased from 1,022 or 2.6% of the Primary 1 cohort in 1988, to 183 or 0.4% in 1998. So that was the difference over those 10 years, from 2.6% of cohort in 1988 to 0.4% of cohort in 1998. That is the drop-out rate from primary schools. At the secondary level, it decreased from 1,844 or 4.3% of the Primary 1 cohort to 1,400 or 3.5% over the same period of time. The figures for the first 8 months of 1999 was 114 or 0.2% of the Primary 1 cohort at the primary level, and 612 or 1.6% of the Primary 1 cohort at the secondary level. The Member asked for the profile of the school leavers. More than half of the students who left at the primary level were Primary 6 students, while a third of those who left at the secondary level were in Secondary 3.

Sir, when students show signs of dropping out, principals and teachers strenuously try to dissuade them from doing so. Their efforts include counselling the students, monitoring their attendance rate and contacting their homes when they are absent, inviting the parents to school, and making home visits to discuss the matter with the parents. In some cases, school inspectors, cluster superintendents and educational psychologists are also involved in the counselling process. Where the reason for dropping out is financial, schools are prepared to extend financial aid to the students like our various community organisations.

When the students are not dissuaded from dropping out, despite all the efforts of the schools and Ministry officials, the help of external agencies, for example, the Self-Help Groups and the Voluntary Welfare Organisations, is also sought.

Of the 5,757 students, this is the second last part of the Member's question, who dropped out at the primary and secondary levels between 1995 and 1997, 8% have returned to school. As for the last part of the Member's question, the Ministry does not track the educational or personal development of pupils after they have dropped out of school. Instead, the Ministry's focus and the focus of the schools are to try and counsel them so that they do not drop out or leave school and that they do remain in school.