We all know that dropping out of school is not an easy task to commit. It involves a lot of thinking, planning, and security. Let us learn more about it and find out at what age can you drop out of school with parental consent.
1. Reasons That Lead a Child to Think About Dropping Out of School
Many children feel the need to drop out. Some think about helping their family out to earn money. While some have other reasons as well. Before discussing at what age can you drop out of school with parental consent, let us look at some of the reasons.
1.1 Pressurized by Family
One of these reasons is the family’s pressure to pursue a field of study not desired by the child. Sometimes the parents are delusional about the fact that pressure might destroy their child’s future. They just want their children to go with the conventional standards set for careers like opting for science-based careers. If a child is forced to study something that they do not wish to, they start with unexcused absences. Slowly and gradually they start this process. They go on to become someone who stays out of school without permission, i.e., a truant.
Due to this, the child feels the need to quit what they are studying. They feel like starting something of their interest and will. The child drops the course that they are forced to study and starts something they wish to. This results in one of two conclusions. Either the child becomes brilliant in what he or she wishes to do. Or the child becomes lost and fails to succeed or make a career. So, it is advised to the parents not to force their children to study the thing they wish them to study. Instead, let them decide their career options. Pressure needs to be limited on children, especially those who are younger.
1.2 Losing Focus in Studies
One more reason to be brought to light can be losing focus at a younger age. Some students become the so-called ‘spoiled brats’ and start disobeying their parents and their school rules. They lose interest in the study and go for other naïve and wrong options like drugs, gambling, criminal activities, etc. This also leads to unexcused absences which eventually makes them habitually truant. Most of these children end up in juvenile court and sometimes even jail. Underage drinking and smoking need to be prohibited. A strict check needs to be kept on such children so that they don’t spoil their future.
Other than this, sometimes, the parents or even the student feels the need to gain independent study. It is not exactly dropping out but does include the absence of supervision on the students.
2. School District
2.1 India
India is a nation full of brilliant minds and excellent scholars, but also illiteracy and poverty. If we talk about India, we can state that education has always been a matter of question. In the past, we can see that many sections of society, like women and lower caste people, were not allowed even primary education. Due to this India suffered from a lot of discrimination. But nowadays many opportunities have been launched in favor of the forgotten section of society.
According to The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009, children from 6 to 14 years of age are to be given compulsory education. So it can be said that the minimum age to leave school in India is 14 years. The government has launched many schemes for poor people so that this act can be followed effectively.
One of these schemes is The Midday Meal Scheme which ensures one-time food for school-going children in government schools.
Due to this act, in India, it would be against the law for a child to drop out of school before 14 years of age. Still, many children are forced to quit school and start working with their parents at menial jobs due to their poor condition. But sometimes it’s not the poverty that forces the child to drop out but their own choices.
Some children turn out to do wonders when they drop out of school as schools don’t do justice to their brilliant minds, but other times the children are stuck in their life between menial jobs because of the decision they made at an early age.
2.2 U.S.A.
If we talk about the U.S. the age at which a child can drop out of high school can vary depending on each state. Usually, the age is between 16, 17 or 18. But recently, the U.S. has been giving importance to compulsory education due to which the legal age to drop out of school has become either 17 or 18 in many states. You can learn more about the U.S. education system through the National Center for Education Statistics.
3. High-school Diploma
Even though sometimes it seems like a good and easy idea to drop out of high school, most of the time it is not the right option to do. If a child will have a high-school diploma he or she will not necessarily succeed in life but at least then the child is capable of doing something more than just a menial job.
It is considered a reasonable decision if the student who is willing to drop out of school waits for the minimum age that is required for them to drop out. Even if the child doesn’t want to continue high school, primary education is a must for everyone these days. If the child is thinking about dropping out of high school, he or she should always ask for parental permission or the permission of a legal guardian or at least a school counsellor. Sometimes it is hard for a student to talk to their parents. A school counsellor can be a comfortable option and may help the child seek the right decision.
At the end of the day, it is believed that even though some of the brilliant minds were college or high-school dropouts, they still a student is not advised to drop out of school (at least high school) and even if they think about doing so they need a lot of guidance and support personally as well as professionally.
Also check out: 24 Ways on How to Become Successful After High School
