The Complexity of Continuation

Abstract

Around the world, but particularly in developing countries, educational access and enrollment have steadily risen in recent decades. Not surprisingly, this has occurred in tandem with increased attention over the past 25 years from development practitioners and governments in order to meet the targets contained in the Millennium Development Goals and the Education for All initiative. Yet, as these rates increase, dozens of countries struggle to insure that children stay in school. In recognition of this trend, The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) used the 2012 edition of its Global Education Digest to highlight the severity and urgency of student dropout and retention. This report—titled, Opportunities lost: the impact of grade repetition and early school leaving—found that, as of 2010, there were approximately 31.2 million early school leavers (i.e., students who drop out before attaining the compulsory level of education for their country) worldwide (UNESCO 2012). While the highest concentrations of early school leavers were found in South and West Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, it remains an issue that affects countries in each world region—particularly as students transition from grade 1 to 2 and from primary school to lower secondary school (LSS).