For the young or undernourished, the effort can become too great. Children who are ill, tired, or hungry have limited attention spans and are unlikely to benefit from school. Those whose mother tongue is a minority language face even more difficulties. These children often drop out of school. Children also drop out of school because their parents cannot afford to pay for transportation, school supplies, or uniforms, or because their labor may be needed at home or they have to contribute to the family s income.
Most children drop out within the first two grades.
Most dropouts are girls, often because of the perception that there is less value in educating daughters. Children from low-income groups in Indonesia are much less likely to attend lower secondary school than other children. There is sometimes a misconception among the poor that attending school brings little benefit. It is difficult to dispel this notion when the schooling provided is inadequate and fails to meet minimum standards, or the schools are under-resourced and badly managed. And this is often the case.