Major Causes of Girls’School Dropout from General Primary Schools and Related Challenges in South Wollo and Oromia Zones in Amahara Region, Ethiopia

Though many researchers have been concerned with school dropout issue for both girls and boys, dropout pattern significantly differs by the gender of the students. This study clarifies the factors that contribute to the increasing dropout rate of children, particularly among girls by interviewing research participants and making a detailed review of available literature. Most past researches and reviews on the school dropout issue have been carried out regardless of the gender of the students. Twenty-five primary school students (10 boys and 15 girls), ten school teachers (including school directors) and twenty parents were interviewed for the study. That made the total research participants fifty-five. Dropout rate does not occur through a single factor; it is a composition of several factors. A number of studies have been conducted on girls' dropout issue based on particular regions, societies and cultural perspectives in various parts of the world. In this study, Ianalyzed the factors contributing to the dropout of girls and concluded thatthe major factors are (1) economic factors: e.g. poverty and migration to foreign countries to earn (2) household level factors: e.g. child labor (3) school level factors: e.g. distance and (4) cultural factors: e.g. early marriage. Keywords : School dropout, girls' education, educational inequality. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-10-03 Publication date: April 30 th 2020