Rural adolescents schooling, skills learning-economic development for their own and community health and development

Abstract

Background: Adolescents should be studying, have socio-cultural development, economic sufficiency is essential. But in remote, rural regions, there are many school drop-outs because of various reasons with possibilities of sequalae which affect health, development and wellbeing. Methods: After Institute’s Ethics Committees’ approval descriptive study was conducted in 100 villages to collect information from adolescents/young, 14-25, years neither studying nor working, as per objectives, 1046 study subjects. divided into, 14-17 years, 18-21 years, and 22-25 years. Results: Of 1046 study subjects, 717 (68.54%) were girls/ women 29.72% of 14-17 years, 32.35% of 18-21 years 37.93% of 22-25 years, 45 (6.27%) illiterates, 28.17% dropped at primary school. Reasons for dropouts included care of siblings, work in farms, household work. Total 693 of 1046 wanted to learn stitching. The 329 (31.46) boys/men, 30.30% 14-17 years old, 32.21%, 18-21 years, 37.99% 22-25 years 21 (6.38%) males were illiterate, 37.38% dropouts at primary level due to poverty, lack of interest, failure in examinations. Reasons for dropouts included work in farms; work at other places, household work. When asked about desires for skills learning, 1st choice of most of girls/women boys/ men was stitching second choice beauty parlour. Conclusions: Some adolescents/young were illiterate, many school dropout at primary level, more females married. Lack of support from family, poverty, care of sibling, infrastructure, lack of interest in education, repeated failure in exams, were reasons for drop outs. Most were interested in tailor’s job/beautician. They lacked vision of many possibilities.