Abstract
Adolescents from disadvantaged communities often drop out of school midway after they have previously achieved successful access to school. By leaving school in this way, most school dropouts, due to a lack of opportunities in obtaining additional education and skill training, find it difficult to secure steady employment and a decent income. This is true, especially in the context of today’s increased use of new technologies and structural changes in job composition in the wider economy. In the educational hierarchy of school education, India registers a disproportionate rate of dropout at the secondary level—an important transitory/preparatory stage for preparation for higher education and/or the world of employment. Despite its widespread prevalence, the issue of dropout is often obscured within official statistical data; and less is known about the processes of dropout, why and how it occurs and what strategic interventions can be made to mitigate not only dropout challenges but also transform the prospects of youth. Based on data consisting of school- parental community interactions, enriched with empirical inputs, the present study seeks to address the above issues.
About the speaker
Dr Jeebanlata Salam is an academic researcher, trained in sociology and social anthropology. She obtained her master's degree in sociology from Delhi School of Economics and a doctorate, also in sociology, from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. Her doctoral thesis, “State, Civil Society and Right to Education” is an outcome of her participatory journey in critical education policy engagement of the government of India. Her research interests and contributions are mostly in neglected research domains: education in conflict zones, social exclusion and education, education of vulnerable social groups, education and youth empowerment, state-society relations, and nation and identity aspirations. Her consistent research focus on disadvantaged and dislocated social groups demonstrates her long standing commitment to promoting equity and inclusion in our society, and helps create compassionate communities in society. Dr Salam has many research publications, including books and articles, to her credit. Prior to joining NIAS, she taught sociology at the Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi.