The Education Ministry is aiming to establish a database to understand the significant dropout rate of students transitioning from primary to secondary schools and to track the whereabouts of these dropouts.
Permanent Secretary for Education, Selina Kuruleca, presented this initiative to the Standing Committee on Social Affairs during a review of the Education Ministry’s annual reports spanning from 2018 to 2021.
She highlighted a concerning statistic: from an initial enrollment of 150,640 students in primary school, the number plummets to just 66,000 in secondary school. “We lose at least 50 to 60 percent of the population right away, leading to a school dropout issue. The critical question is, where have these children gone?” Kuruleca noted.
In collaboration with the Coalition Government, Kuruleca mentioned that efforts are underway to enhance the Education Management Information System (FEMIS) to include an exit dropdown menu for tracking students.
“For instance, when a student leaves the system, we want to know their destination, offering a few options,” she explained. These options could include relocation overseas, opting out of school for various reasons, or circumstances such as health issues or death.
While anecdotal evidence provides some insight, Kuruleca emphasized the need for accurate data collection, stating, “We currently lack the capability to capture this information, but we are working closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) from Australia and our local IT team to improve data tracking.”