Abstract: School abandonment of rural students is a well known issue that has many repercussions in society, especially regarding the economical status, although some might consider the educational and cultural aspects even more important. The descrease of education in a society could be considered the main source of all the other issues within that society. Free access to education will not solve the problem of dropout if we, as a society, do not eradicate the outdated beliefs or traditions that do not value education. Education is a fundamental right and its value should not be questioned.

School abandonment is a well known and quite frequently met problem in our society, but the school abandonment of students from a rural settlement is even more pronounced. School abandonment is an issue which has many sources, but all of them seem to stem from one main source: the student's environment, which includes family, group of friends and other influences exerted on the student, such as the surrounding community with its cultural and economical status. Of course, when mentioning the familial environment, the social, economical, cultural aspects of the family are involved as well. If the students are lacking the proper conditions in order to study and succeed in school, they might be forced to drop out.

“Reasons for school dropout are not found in the educational institution. Most of the researchers see the causes for school dropout as, educational, social, familiar and individual as well in the mutual interaction of these factors. (...) Some of the factors might be:

1. Community characteristics where they belong to, such as socio-economical low level, high level of unemployment and crime.

2. Family characteristics, such as low educational level, single parents or the cases when the language spoken at school is not their mother tongue.” (Tarusha, 2014)

The fact that students are often forced to drop out of school in order to go to work and provide for their families might seem inadequate, but it is a very common situation in a rural settlement where the rate of unemployment is high and the economical level is low. “Poor economic situations of families play a significant role in absenteeism and then dropping out of school. Children of seasonal worker families or children that are forced to work as seasonal workers are kept away from school for a long time and this has a considerably negative effect on the children’s school lives. It can be said that particularly the obligation of boys to work at a job and contribute to the economy of the family and thus beginning to work at an early age is a highly important factor in school dropout.” (Sahin, Arseven, & Kiliç, 2016) The students that are able to get a job have a low income still, because they are non qualified or underqualified for that job, given the fact that they had dropped out.

The situation complicates when students choose to get involved in crimes so that their families, including themselves could benefit from a higher income; this is not a viable option, because they will endanger themselves and the very people they are trying to help.

In some cases, the economical aspect might not even be the main cause of school abandonment. The educational level of the family, as well as the family's cultural background has a great influence on the student's school performance.

Ideally, the family's beliefs and behaviors should not interfere with their child's right for a proper education, unless the child is wise enough to decide for himself; up to that point, the family should be able to fulfill for the child all the basic needs, most importantly education. “Parents' lack of education and accordingly their disregard for education appear as an important cause of absenteeism and school dropout.

According to research findings, many families think that the education of girls is not important, girls are forced to get married at an early age and kept at home to provide help with housework. Besides, it is also seen that some families take their children from mainstream schools to have them get religious education.” (Sahin, Arseven, & Kiliç, 2016) Although not necessarily, most often families with such views on education are established in a rural settlement.

A child whose parents did not benefit from a proper education might not even want to go to school in the first place: following the example of the parents, the student might consider that getting a proper education is not necessary and will want to quit school, the parents being left with just dealing with the situation.

If a student is compelled to adapt to a different environment, to a different culture in another country, there might appear some impediments in the process of learning due to the language barrier or the cultural shock; the student might become the target of discrimination if he does not adapt, therefore if not resolved, these issues might lead to school abandonment.

One solution regarding the issue of school abandonment might be achieving free education. While it may seem that free education could solve this issue, we have to go back to the family environment: can the family fulfill the child's basic needs? Or is the family willing to do it if they do not value education?” community leaders even insist that the direct cost of school is no longer a deterrent for students but the attitudes of the parents are more important. Parents seem to have little interest in education despite all the measures the schools provide: free clothes, books, lunch, plus financial aid.”

The right to education is fundamental to a child's development and well-being. It can be understood that in this day and age it is tough being able to provide for yourself, let alone for a family and kids. But the case of being able to do so and choosing not to is inconceivable.

The fact that some parents don't value education because they did not get the chance to be properly educated should not stay in the way of their children's education. Neither should cultural or religious aspects.

Nicaise, I., Tonguthai, P., & Fripont, I. (2000). School dropout in Thailand: Causes and remedies. Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Hoger Instituut voor de Arbeid.

Sahin, S., Arseven, Z. & Kiliç, A. (2016). Causes of Student Absenteeism and School Dropouts. International Journal of Instruction, 9(1), 200.

Sahin, S., Arseven, Z., & Kiliç, A. (2016). Causes of Student Absenteeism and School Dropouts. International Journal of Instruction, 9(1), 195-210

Tarusha, F. (2014). School Abandonment-Dropout Risk and Supportive Factors. Journal of Educational and Social Research.

1Student, Faculty of Communication and International Relations, Specialization: Psychology, Danubius University of Galați, Romania, Address: 3 Galati Blvd., 800654 Galati, Romania, Tel.: +40372361102, Fax: +40372361290, Coresponding author: marius@rodeals24.com.

New Trends in Psychology, Vol. 1, no 2/2019, pp. 90-93