NOW that the Department of Education (DepEd) is implementing early registration for all public school enrollees of incoming Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 7 and Grade 11 starting on January 27, 2019, it is now a challenge for our educators through the leadership of their school heads to let them stay in school.
In an article written by Chris Blake published on Seattle Pi (education.seattlepi.com), he enumerated the benefits of staying in school and emphasized that dropping out of school affects the ability of the dropout to get a job, its social standing and even its personal health.
Blake cited that staying in school produces less unemployment because according to the study conducted by the National Dropout Prevention Center, people who drop out of high school are "four times as likely to be unemployed as those who have completed four or more years of college."
The author added that by staying in school, one will have better earning potential because dropping out of school puts you at a disadvantage when compared to your degree-earning peers as proven by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Staying in school according to the article written by Blake allows one to hone and perfect basic skills. He further said that being able to complete one’s education not only shows one’s comprehension of communication, math and problem-solving skills, but also shows potential employers that one is capable of sticking with a job until it is done.
Lastly, blake emphasized that staying in school will add more to social benefits of the constituents because according to data compiled by the Alliance for Excellent Education, dropouts are also 3.5 times more likely to be arrested than their peers who have graduated and avoid needing public assistance.
On the other hand, the website http://ndpc.sites.clemson.edu/family-student-resources/top-5-reasons-stay-school enumerated top 5 reasons to stay in school. The following are: a) High school dropouts are four times as likely to be unemployed as those who have completed four or more years of college; b) Graduating from high school will determine how well you live for the next 50 years of your life c) Dropouts are more likely to apply for and receive public assistance than graduates of high school; d) Dropouts comprise a disproportionate percentage of the nation's prison and death row inmates and 5) Schools and learning centers all over the country provide alternative programs for students who are not successful in the usual school setting.
Asia Foundation in its report said that while there is a long way to go in addressing school congestion nationwide, the DepEd is now equipped with the policy, knowledge, and financial resources to expand existing schools or build new schools, thus improving the learning environment for elementary and high school students in urban areas of the Philippines thereby contributing for students to stay in school.
This Corner hopes that the initiatives of the schools to attract students and let them stay in school will really prosper to achieve zero dropout rate in the country.