Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698140761418.pdf (South Africa)
KWAZULU NATAL “DROP OUT REDUCTION PROGRAMME” (DORP) GROWING KWAZULU-NATAL TOGETHER 1 DEFINING SCHOOL DROPPING OUT “In this context school dropping out means leaving school without an exit qualification or equivalent credential such as the National Senior Certificate.
Dropping out refers to a learner who quits school before he or she completes the grades to be completed” (Cerda & Ochoa) GROWING KWAZULU-NATAL TOGETHER 2 KZN REASONS REDUCTION OF LEARNER NUMBERS CATEGORIES Dropout Emigration Home schooling Death Transfer to FET College Long term illness Expulsion Pregnancy TOTAL TOTALS 70075 1422 1281 1081 736 555 253 59 75462 GROWING KWAZULU-NATAL TOGETHER 3 KWAZULU NATAL DROP-OUT STATISTICS CUMULATIVE STATISTICS (IN JULY 2021) Grade 1 Number of drop-outs 3572 Number of drop-outs 1518 Special needs Total 1803 1681 1374 1212 1007 1075 3400 3280 7266 6580 4180 215 36645 GROWING KWAZULU-NATAL TOGETHER 947 767 825 823 643 722 2197 2202 4361 4192 1192 196 20585 4 KWAZULU NATAL DROP-OUT STATISTICS CUMMULATIVE STATISTICS BETWEEN FEBRUARY 2021 AND 31 AUGUST 2021 Grade Special Needs Total number of learners in the Grade 225262 221713 218411 224111 223322 220011 219635 229250 229988 240367 232332 175855 18649 Number of drop-outs % of drop-outs 2054 856 914 549 389 364 353 1203 1078 2905 2388 2988 19 0.9 0.4 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.5 0.5 1.2 1.0 1.7 1.1 GROWING KWAZULU-NATAL TOGETHER 5 KWAZULU NATAL DROP OUT REDUCTION PROGRAMME 1.
COVID-19 has caused an increase in the number of learners who drop out of school in the province 2.

The province will introduce the an intervention called “Drop Out Reduction Programme” (KZN - DORP) 3.

The aim of KZN - DORP is to reduce the drop out rate and improve the learning outcomes in public and private schools using formal and non-formal interventions 4.
It is hoped that the KZN - DORP will facilitate access of every child in KwaZulu Natal to quality basic education so that they enjoy the flow of teaching and learning as it was prior to March/April 2020 GROWING KWAZULU-NATAL TOGETHER 6 UNDERLYING ASSUMPTIONS OF THE KZN-DORP ASSUMPTION 1: If the ongoing increase in the rate of dropouts is not then the broader educational goals of making every KZN child arrested, functionally literate by 2030 will not be achieved ASSUMPTION 2: The increase in dropout rate can be arrested if the causes of the dropout problem are properly identified and described and appropriate intervention programmes are initiated to remove causes ASSUMPTION 3: If the school, the home, community, the circuit, the district and Head Office are actively involved in planning, development and then the increase in dropouts will be implementation of arrested ASSUMPTION 4: The arrest of dropouts is in the intesest of the school, the society, the government and the Republic of South Africa because it can increase the percentage of economically active citizens the KZN-DORP, 7 GROWING KWAZULU-NATAL TOGETHER UNDERLYING ASSUMPTIONS OF THE KZN-DORP The likelihood of ASSUMPTION 5: learners to leave the schooling system can be minimised if leaners feel that their needs are being satisfied and their learning experiences are pleasurable ASSUMPTION 6: Learning is a matter of scaffolding.
Therefore new knowledge, skills and attitudes are developed, shaped and modified on basis of previous ones.

If learner attendance is irregular, lessons are not fully mastered thus weakening the scaffolding process GROWING KWAZULU-NATAL TOGETHER 8 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THE KZN-DORP 1.

To reduce, if not totally eliminate school dropouts in schools of KwaZulu Natal 2.

To increase the learner retention rate in schools of KwaZulu Natal 3.
To improve learner motivation through a significant increase of levels of achievement of Learners at Risk of dropping out (LARDO) 4.

To retrieve learners who are already out of schools due to COVID – 19 related reasons and other reasons 5.

To increase the capability of schools to establish, implement , evaluate and improve the KZN-DORP 6.

To introduce KZN-DORP related interventions for purposes of encouraging parents to send children back to schools 7.
To offset the impact of COVID-19 on the KZN schooling system GROWING KWAZULU-NATAL TOGETHER 9 THE RIGHT TO LEARN • Article 28 of the United Nations Childrens Rights states that: “Children and young people have the right to education no matter who they are; regardless of race, gender or disability; if they are in detention or if they are refugee”.
• The article further states that: “Children and young people have the right to both primary and secondary education and should be able to choose different subjects when in secondary” The Bill of Rights states that: to a basic education including adult basic “Everyone has a right education and to further education which the state, through reasonable measures must make progressively available and accessible” GROWING KWAZULU-NATAL TOGETHER 10 PART A INTEVENTIONS: DEALING WITH INDIVIDUAL FACTORS (LEARNERS) REASON FOR DROPPING OUT OBJECTIVE OF KZN-DORP INTERVENTIONS PROGRESS Broken school attendance & absenteeism To reduce the risk of COVID- 19 through return of more learners to school.
Road shows to encourage learners between age 12 -18 year learners to vaccinate.
The province is encouraging learners through parents to vaccinate Poor performance resulting from learning losses caused by different time tabling To increase the number of days attended at school Provision of mobile classrooms to create space for more learners at school The province has provided more than 1200 mobile units in schools Fear of school return and emotional stress caused by covid- 19 infection fear Stigmatisation of those affected by the CPVOD-19 virus To ease the fears of parents about COVID-19 Using the SGB structures to educate parents about COVID - 19 This is ongoing as SMTS are educating parents about COVI-19 To destigmatise COVID-19 infections so that learners to return to school after infections Follow up support to learners who have been affected by COVID - 19 This is ongoing as Life Orientation teachers destigmatise infections Slow progress in the attainment of learning outcomes To ensure that the home becomes an extension of the school Training teachers on blending physical learning and home learning Teachers are giving home learning excercises during rotation GROWING KWAZULU-NATAL TOGETHER 11 INTEVENTION 2: DEALING WITH FAMILY FACTORS (PARENTS) REASON FOR DROPPING OUT OBJECTIVE OF KZN-DORP INTERVENTION PROGRESS Reduced financial resources- Parents failure to pay school fees because of loss of jobs due to lockdown To retain learners fee paying schools Negotiate easier fee paying terms for recently unemployed parents This is being planned for the 2022 academic year Digital divide causing parents not to afford e-learning facilities To provide access to education in schools with rotational time tables Introduction of “zero-rated” online learning platforms and multischool teaching The province has already introduced its zero rated “KZN Funda Platform” Lack of at-home learning material To occupy learners who are not at school because of rotational attendance Lack of interest in sending children to school during COVID-19 To persuade parents to bring learners back to school Lack of school-parent
 absenteeism management To assist schools and parents to track learner absenteeism Promote remote learning by providing home study packs for learners who have irregular attendance The province started providing home learning packs to rotating learners in 2020 Using e-communication strategies and SGB’s to encourage parents return to school Introducing of weekly feedback of children attendance through SMS’s The province has planned a “parent persuasion programme” for 2022 The weekly feedback will start in 2022 12 GROWING KWAZULU-NATAL TOGETHER INTEVENTION 3: DEALING WITH SCHOOL RELATED FACTORS REASON FOR DROPPING OUT OBJECTIVE OF KZN-DORP INTERVENTION PROGRESS Lack of Teacher development on psychosocial support during closure To capacitate teachers to provide emotional support to manage their classrooms in the COVID-19 era Conduct of short psychosocial support workshops for teachers This is included in the 2022 provincial curriculum recovery programme Lack of reliable information on the importance of the vaccination programme To educate teachers about the importance of vaccination and its safety Including the vaccination messages in the MECs roadshows This has been done in the 2021 MECs examination readiness district meetings Lack of basic facilities at school (water) To ensure an ongoing supply of basic COVID -19 prevention resources in schools School disruptions caused by “COVID-19 WAVES”/Peaks To protect teaching and learning time in spite of COVID-19 Lack of school readiness for the possible future COVID-19 waves/peaks To offset the high dropout rate caused by the COVID-19 peaks Continuous and reliable provision of PPE’s , water and sanitation in schools Introduction of risk adjusted approach to dealing with cases of infections Preparation of the provincial school guide to deal with Peaks without closing schools The province has improved the supply of PPE’s, water and ablution facilities The province used this approach during the third wave of COVID-19 and it
 continues The province is preparing a guide for responding to future COVID-19 peaks 13 GROWING KWAZULU-NATAL TOGETHER INTEVENTION 3: DEALING WITH COMMUNITY RELATED FACTORS REASON FOR DROPPING OUT OBJECTIVE OF KZN-DORP INTERVENTION PROGRESS Lack of community involvement with school To improve “School-Community” collaboration Lack of school support from communities To empower community leaders to support schools Lack of “extended parenting” in the communities To extend the school discipline to communities Lack of COVID-19 awareness in communities To make communities aware of the efforts of schools in preventing the spread of COVID Building communication bridges to connect schools, homes and communities Invitation of community leaders to discuss the challenges of COVID-19 in schools To guide communities on their role to curb learner misbehaviors e.g.
getting to taverns/drug-dens Work with community leaders to educate society about the importance of supporting schools to deal COVID-19 infections ‘Stealing” of schools’ basic sanitation facilities by community members To protect school property from theft Work with local SAPS to protect school property GROWING KWAZULU-NATAL TOGETHER This will be driven through QLTC in 2022 This will be rolled out through QLTC in 202 A guide will be prepared for parents and community leaders for use in 2022 A call for protecting school COVID-19 essentials to communities is already being made to communities There are already cases opened against school property theft 14 INTEVENTION 1: DELAING WITH SYSTEMIC FACTORS REASON FOR DROPPING OUT OBJECTIVE OF KZN-DORP INTERVENTION PROGRESS Protect the shrinking budget resulting from envisaged cuts To finance the schools to meet the resource demands of the pandemic Negotiation of a stoppage to further budget cuts in the Department of Education The province has already started talks with Treasury Absence of regulations for schools using rotational time tables To empower schools to manage continuous learning recoveries Teacher workshops on the management of remote learning in rotating schools Provision of extra support for schools using rotational time tables To introduce system programmes to support learners Implementation of the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI) The teacher development plan for 2022 will include sessions on management of remote learning The province is making progress in the implementation of the PYEI for school and teacher support GROWING KWAZULU-NATAL TOGETHER 15 CONCLUSION • The province notes that the challenge of reduction of learner numbers is three-fold 1.
There are “actual drop outs” which is the number of learners who exit the schooling system and never return 2.

There are “temporal drop outs” which is the number of learners who exit the system temporarily and return to complete schooling later 3.

There are “Technical drop-outs” which are unreported learners who take alternative schooling systems e.g.
home schooling • KwaZulu Natal has all these three reasons for the reduction of learner numbers • The KZN-DORP aims at reducing the “Actual Drop Outs” in the system GROWING KWAZULU-NATAL TOGETHER 16 GROWING KWAZULU-NATAL TOGETHER 17