Factors Contributing to the Student Dropout Among Internally Displaced People and Refugees in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq: Challenges and Implications

Abstract

Returning to learning was a campaign carried out by the school social workers in the Ministry of Education – KRG (MOE-KRG) to encourage students to return to school and to raise awareness among parents and local communities, targeting Internally Displaced People (IDP) and refugee populations in addition to the general population. Despite intensive efforts on the part of the Kurdistan Regional Government to improve the education sector, there are still lingering socioeconomic, structural, and cultural factors that negatively impact student dropouts, including amongst IDPs and Refugees. This paper explores these factors in more detail, including gender and IDP/Refugee disparities. Secondary data were obtained from the MOE-KRG. This paper adopts a quantitative approach to analyzing a secondary dataset, utilizing Pearson’s Chi-square tests and cross-tabulation analysis, with results indicating significance at p-values less than .001. Results also indicate that child labour, disability, distance from schools, and risks of travelling to school figured amongst the more prevalent factors. These factors relate the story of dropout among IDPs and refugees, where cultural and socioeconomic factors interact. Therefore, it is crucial to review policies and the infrastructural elements of the field of education. In addition, raising parental awareness and improving economic circumstances in our region and among IDP and Refugee communities.