Too much to handle

Given the frenzy to secure seats in City-based colleges every year, it’s somewhat surprising to find out that there are still students who choose to dropout before completing their degree.

While some of them are compelled to do so because of family or financial circumstances, others simply opt out of mainstream education because they don’t consider it important.
Some of them never regret this decision; others end up returning to college later on, or take up courses that will make up for the gap in their CVs.

“In the last three or four years, most of the students who have approached me saying they want to dropout of college do so because they had some other field in mind, but were pushed into this by their parents. Another reason is peer influence and the third is academic pressure — if it’s too much to handle, students sometimes just quit,” explains Ameen-e-Mudassar, a career counsellor. Interestingly, he points out that there’s a fourth reason why students opt out of college — they want to work instead.

“There are some who dropout to join the entertainment industry or make quick money at a call centre. These are students who know that their parents will support them and don’t believe that education is the root of what they want to achieve,” he says.

But while the thrill of earning might sustain them for a while, he’s quick to add that some regret the decision down the line.

“It depends on the kind of future they’re looking for. Some might realise they’ve made a mistake five years later. They’ll see that others are being promoted, but they’re still executives rather than managers because of poor qualification. Then, they approach counsellors asking them how they can get a degree,” he says.

In the field of engineering in particular, most dropouts are because of high levels of competition and pressure. Abdul Hamid, the administrator of HKBK College of Engineering, points out that the environment can be hard for poorly-qualified students.

“Many students are forced into engineering because of parental pressure. Others might end up getting a branch they aren’t interested in and eventually dropout. This isn’t as much of a problem in the City as it is in rural areas, though. Here, I’d say that maybe two or three students in a batch dropout,” he explains.

Interestingly, Abraham, a professor at Baldwin Women’s Methodist College, says that generally, girl students dropout to get married.

“In most women’s colleges, this is the main reason. Their parents find them a match and they decide to leave their studies. There might be one or two students in a batch who make this choice,” he says.

According to him, it’s rarer to find girls who leave institutions to work. “It’s very rare but sometimes they might, if they need to support their families,” adds Abraham.

Unfortunately, for students who make this decision on the spur of the moment, it isn’t always easy to re-enter mainstream education.

“It’s difficult to get back into a good college after dropping out. For starters, the applicant will obviously be well above the normal age. They can manage at the graduation level but it will be difficult for those who dropped out in pre-university. Generally, such students look for short cuts — they take up vocational courses or opt for distance education,” says Ameen.

It helps, though, to have the support of the institution. Abraham explains that two years ago, one of his students decided to dropout of college because of her family’s financial condition.

“She wanted to concentrate on that and became a dance teacher; she was very good at it. But now, she has joined the college once more because she thinks education is most important,” he concludes.