Being able to stem the flow of school drops and get those who left back into the education system can help bring about progress in addressing social challenges facing the nation.
It’s a point highlighted by Independent Senator, Dr Paul Richards, who quoted figures from a newspaper article which indicated 28 hundred children dropped out of primary and secondary schools from 2020 to 2022 during the Covid-19 pandemic.
984 students dropped out in 2022, at least 151 primary school pupils dropped out from government schools in Trinidad and Tobago in the beginning of 2020 and the end of 2022.
2,663 students dropped out of secondary schools during the same period, 623 in 2020, 1,056 in 2021 and 984 in 2022.
The district with the most secondary school drop outs was St George East with 724 students, in 2021, 302 dropped out of secondary schools in the district.
Dr Paul suggested the aim should be to reach those students and have them brought back into the education arena to continue their learning adding failure to do this can result in many of them moving to gangs in a bid to find acceptance.
He estimated about 80 billion dollars was spent on the education system between 2015 to present.