Lack of motivation. They don't have the 'Why?'.

Some learners feel out of place at school. The schools need to create communities of meaning in order to make these young people feel part of the system.

I think learners drop out of school for various different reasons and that there is no one cause, but rather many causes that intersect.

With this in mind to prevent dropout I believe we need to approach it both systemically BUT ALSO on the level of the individual. If we know the factors that are causing a particular learner to disengage we can then offer targeted and effective support to them. I don't think there is a one size fits all solution and I think we need everyone to buy in to the idea of Zero Dropout and do what they can in their spaces to achieve change.

Aussie Ndlovu's answer makes sense to me. If school isn't a nice place to be and a matric doesn't guarantee you a job then what is the point?

We need to shift school culture in order to create that why. We must create nurturing and caring environments where learners feel supported to thrive. We must try and enrich our children in all ways possible.

It is incredibly valuable to understand the factors at play at a school/ community level that may influence an individual experience - no individual is an isolated system we interact with our environments. This is why responding to dropout by understanding the push and pull factors that cause it is such a useful strategy.

I agree with the previous comments. There is not just one answer to this question, but shifting the school culture to a happier & better place is crucial. We also need better monitoring of children who are at risk of dropping schools (family situation, low grades, etc) and put strategies into place to support them (individual academic support & after school clubs?) so we can prevent them to completely drop out. Most of these children don't get support at home, and fall very quickly behind with their school work. All children in the country should be assessed for their reading age , and support should be put directly into place if a certain level is not reached at a particular grade. A lot of these children can't read properly, and will keep falling behind if they don't get some support.

What a comprehensive answer you have articulated this so well... To support learners and prevent dropout we have to focus on psycho-social support and academic support. The more protective factors are in place to insulate learners the less their vulnerability to disengagement.
Assessing grade level reading is a good way to pre-empt and prevent academic concern and making sure schools are spaces of safety where learners feel a sense of belonging is a good way to institutionalise psycho-social support.