By 2023, more than 10,500 students will be out of school. The school dropout occurs when an individual drops out or separates from the space or institution from which he or she receives some type of education. According to a study on the statistics of school dropouts in Puerto Rico, 86.1% of these students live below the poverty level. poverty. However, it is a complicated phenomenon with multiple causes. According to statistics from the School Dropout Report, published by the Department of Education, in the 2022-2023 school year, 10.5% of the population will drop out of school.00 students will drop out of the educational system, with a dropout rate of 3.9%. This represents a 1% increase against the previous year (2021-2022), in which 8,279 students left the system. Analyzing the figures for the last five years, we note that school dropout has become the trend, the social implications of which could also have long-term economic complications. One of the direct consequences of this is the decrease in employment opportunities with better salary opportunities, which translates into lower labor participation due to the exodus of young professionals abroad. These wages also contribute to an increase in the need for government subsidies such as the Nutritional Assistance Program (PAN), housing programs and tax benefits to try to decelerate the poverty that is prevalent in many Puerto Rican households. prevailing in many Puerto Rican households. Los data from the Employment and Unemployment Survey of the Department of Labor and Human Resources (DTRH), from March 2024, shows the percentage distribution of employed persons by educational attainment, not seasonally adjusted.l. This confirms that employers continue to prioritize educational levels when selecting candidates.
According to the latest version of the Department of Labor and Human Resources (DTRH) Occupational Employment and Wages Survey for the year 2023, the average annual salary for a worker with less than a high school education is $23,020. This is in addition to the cost of living in Puerto Rico, which remains among the highest in the United States. United States.
Therefore, the question to ask is: What is driving students to abandon their studies? According to Professor of Sociology, Emilio Pantojas, there are three main problems:
- Poor campus conditions,
- Lack of resources
- Poor quality of education
These problems are not new for the Department of Education. As recently as February, students posted videos on social networks denouncing the conditions of the school campuses. This despite a Department of Education investment of $782,651.53 dollars for painting and general repairs. repairs. In the videos, several damages could be observed, such as: bathrooms without doors, inoperative sinks (without water), broken soap dispensers, absence of toilet paper and blotting paper, and walls without mirrors. This creates discouragement and hopelessness in students which drives students to drop out of their studies which, in turn, creates This, in turn, creates an attraction to the marginal economy. This increases an increase in the drug economy, since in today's society, for many individuals, educational attainment does not always translate into more prosperous job opportunities. According to Department of Correction data for 2019, 43% of the male prison population, or 3,161 inmates, dropped out of school before completing the fourth grade. As for females, the percentage is 34%, which is equivalent to 90 inmates.
Thus The data are worrying and even catastrophic in the long term if this trend continues. Despite the aforementioned complaints, the Secretary of the Department of Education maintains that the Department has developed a "monumental reconstruction" project with a historic amount of federal funds that are being used for this purpose. Regarding the problem of school dropout, the secretary of the Department said that one of the strategies implemented is the Extended Academic Reinforcement (ERE) program. Extended Academic Reinforcement (RAE) program.whose investment is approximately $260 million. The program consists of tutoring and academic reinforcement for students to improve their skills. skills. However, this program is not new and has been implemented consecutively for the past three school years without much success. without much success. In addition, the program has been implemented consecutively for the past three school years without much success, it is that the schools that have this academic reinforcement available to students do not have academic reinforcement available to students are not are not available to the general public with Easy Access.
So, WHAT WHAT IT SERVE?
Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.
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School dropout has become the trend, the social implications of which could also be economic in the long term.
It is essential to support research that analyzes Department of Education data to promote informed decisions based on concrete evidence and to develop public policies that truly benefit Puerto Rico's youth. Otherwise, we will continue to be mired in uncertainty. uncertainty of the educational future of our youth.