An Assessment of Dreams Educational Interventions on Mitigating School Dropouts on Vulnerable Girls at Rushinga High School in Rushinga District · Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Author

Makuva, Nomore

Title

An Assessment of Dreams Educational Interventions on Mitigating School Dropouts on Vulnerable Girls at Rushinga High School in Rushinga District

Abstract

Vulnerable girls face a lot of challenges in accessing education. School dropouts have been witnessed among vulnerable girls due to a variety of factors. This study aims at assessing the educational interventions of the DREAMS program in mitigating school dropouts among female students at Rushinga High School in Rushinga District, Zimbabwe. The objectives of this study were to identify strategies implemented by the DREAMS program to mitigate school dropouts among female students at Rushinga High School, examine factors leading to school dropouts in the DREAMS program and to explore the strategies that can be implemented to reduce schooldropouts in the DREAMS program. The study was contacted with 21 participants, including 6 key informants. The researcher used qualitative research methodology. Purposive sampling technique and stratified random sampling were used to select participants. Data was collected using in-depth interview guides 1 for participants and the other for key informants. Thematic analysis was used to analyze and present data. School fees payments, provision of school uniforms, provision of sanitary wear and sexual reproductive health education were identified as the strategies implemented by the DREAMS program to reduce school dropouts. The research also identified the main causes of the existence of school dropouts among DREAMS beneficiaries, despite its efforts to mitigate them. Amongst these reasons was poverty, sexual abuses, child marriages, poor academic performance, lack of interest, lack of exposure, lack of motivation, health challenges, long distance from school, less significance of education in the society and parent/ guardian’s educational level. Strategies that can be implemented to reduce school dropouts in the DREAMS program were also identified under this study. Some of these strategies were, improving communication between children and their guardians, strengthening teacher-guardian relationship, diversification of services, improving access to sexual reproductive rights education, guidance and counseling, awareness campaigns, strengthening household economy, skills training and capacitating female students to start their own projects.

Date

2022

Publisher

BUSE

Keywords

School Dropouts

Vulnerable Girls

Supervisor

N/A