The School Dropout in the First Levels of Education in the Municipality of Humpata

Abstract

The goal of this study is to understand the issue of school dropout, especially in the early levels of education, specifically in the municipality of Humpata, in order to find mechanisms that can reverse the current situation through concrete actions that address its root causes. The study is qualitative in nature, employing direct observation techniques and structured and semi-structured interviews with parents, children, and young people who have dropped out of school. The interviews were conducted in the local language, Olunyaneca-Nkumbi, in the Mwila variant, as well as in Portuguese. Based on data analysis, the identified causes of school dropout in rural areas include: the long distances children must travel to school, hunger, habits, poor mastery of the language of instruction by the children, lack of knowledge of the native language by the teachers, the desire to stay in informal markets, and the droughts that have become frequent in recent years. The highlighted consequences include: poverty, lack of qualified individuals, illiteracy, early marriage, and the worsening of disparities between rural and urban areas. This study also identified the prevalence of financial difficulties faced by families, forcing children to drop out of school, thus increasing the number of dropouts each day.