Thesis:Lack of parental support and encouragement, teenage pregnancy and financial difficulties are several reasons which influence school dropout. One rainy morning on my way to work, I stopped at the traffic-light where I noticed a little girl, at the side of the road, crouching under a mango-tree. I drove a few meters away parked my car and investigated why she was there. I later found out that she was a school dropout all because of her becoming pregnant. There are several influencing factors which contribute to school dropout.

Teenage pregnancy is a major cause for girls dropping out of school because of the fear of being judged and the school’s system being unable to cater for pregnant students. Students who lacked parental support and encouragement were most likely to become school dropouts; this is due to a lack of parental involvement and because the parents were school dropout themselves, so they did not have that academic background to help guide their children. Financial difficulty also contributes to dropping out of school because of low socio-economic status.Teenage pregnancy is one of the highest ranked factor influencing school dropout among students (Ingle, 2012; Sheehy, 2012).

Teenage students because of their active sex life, after becoming pregnant dropout of school because of the fear and stigma attached to teen pregnancy. Teens are often not given the moral support, as well as financial support when they become pregnant, with no one to turn to students who are faced with this dilemma dropout of school. This factor coupled with the school’s inability to cater for pregnant teens influences the dropout rate amongst teens significantly.

A lack of parental support and encouragement is another major factor influencing school dropout (Sheehy, 2012). Dropping out of school due to a lack of parental support and encouragement happens because parents were often too busy with their own lives, work, and they do not have that academic background. Some parents were school dropout themselves and were unable to lend and give that support and encouragement to their children that are needed to succeed at school.This directly attributed to the fact that studies conducted showed that the lack of parental involvement in terms of support and encouragement was related to school dropout (Fredrick, 2011). Parental support and encouragement is therefore needed if children are to progress in their academic lives. School dropout due to financial problems or difficulty often occurs in situations where the student comes from a low-income family background (“women’s forum”, 2012).Students very often are faced with situation in the home in which their parents are unable to provide certain basic amenities which are needed for their upkeep.

There are a lot of families who cannot afford to pay tuition fees and purchase school supplies; these families earn minimum wages and salaries. Students dropout and seek employment so as to satisfy or assist the financial needs in their homes; by dropping out and seeking employment they help parents and other siblings by providing food, clothes and other needs that may arise.In our society and many other societies this financial difficulty due to low socio-economic background and or status has contributed to school dropout. Several reason for school dropouts identified not only affects our society but other societies further afield; the lack of parental involvement interms of support and encouragement and teenage pregnancy are the highest ranked reasons for students dropout, financial difficulty linked to low socio-economic status are included in the top contributing factors for dropping out of school.This problem of school dropout is directly linked to social and economic issues that affects our society for instance; unemployment, life of poverty, crime.

Dropping out also reduces the possibility of sustainable development in society because education is critical for economic development and productivity.ReferencesWomen’s Forum. (2008). Why teen drop out of high school. Retrieved November 27 ,2012, from http://www. womensforum. com/why-teens-drop-out-of-high-school. html Fredrick, H.

(n. d. ). Causes of school dropouts.

Retrieved November 14, 2012, from http://www. ehow. com/info_8408525_causes-school-dropouts. html Inglee, J. (2012).

A look at why so many kids in the u. s. are dropping of school. Retrieved November 19, 2012, from http://news.

yahoo. com/look-why-many-kids-u-dropping-school-003600352. html Sheehy, K.

(2012). High school dropouts blame lack of parental support, teen pregnancy. Retrieved November 19, 2012, from http://www. usnews.

com/education/blogs/high-school-notes/2012/11/14/high-school-dropouts-blame-lack-of-parental-support-teen-pregnancy