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Abstract Contextualized within global efforts to advance sustainable development, research into the dropout rates of rural secondary school girls in low-income nations gains profound relevance. Through Self-determination theory, and motivated by Sustainable Development Goals 4 and 5, the study examines the psychological needs impacting female students' motivation to drop out of school. Through semi-structured interviews, observations, and document analysis, it delineates the adverse effects of compromised autonomy, competence, and relatedness attributed to systemic challenges within educational institutions, pedagogical practices, and familial settings. The findings underscore the criticality of enhancing the educational engagement and retention of girls, pinpointing educator absenteeism, peer ridicule, parental indifference, stringent parenting, economic hardships, and alternative career aspirations as pivotal to understanding dropout dynamics. The recommendations for bolstering girls' perceptions are imperative for fostering conducive learning environments for sustained educational participation. Our emphasis on targeted interventions and the call for comprehensive future research resonate with the SDGs' overarching framework, advocating for evidence-based policies and practices that can drive sustainable development across multiple domains. This study contributes to the academic discourse on educational retention and provides actionable insights for stakeholders towards the realization of the SDGs, highlighting the interconnectedness of educational attainment, gender equality, and sustainable development.
Banda et al. (Wed,) studied this question.