Causes of Primary School Dropout: a Case of Pakistani Students

This study was conducted to explore the causes of primary school dropout in Pakistani context. Dropouts, their parents and teachers were surveyed for the purpose. School and individual factors emerged as the major causes of students' dropout from primary schools. Student?s socioeconomic status, grade retention, difficulties in learning, lack of interest in studies, unfriendly school, lack of basic facilities in school, teacher?s hostile attitude with students were the causes identified by the dropouts. School, student and family based causes forced the parents to make decision of withdrawal of their brood from school before completion of primary education. Primary school teachers were of the opinion that the leading causes which forced the child to leave school were parental carelessness, poor parental economic condition, grade retention, student?s out of school company, truancy, difficulty in learning, student's preference for child labor over studies, inability to continue learning, psychological problems, illiteracy of parents and student?s poor health. Curriculum seemed out dated, irrelevant and inflexible. The teachers? professional training and commitment was a question mark.