SCHOOL DROP-OUT AMONG THE YOUTHS: A CRITICAL CHALLENGE IN A KNOWLEDGE-DRIVEN AGE

Abstract

This paper deals with the issue of the high rate of school drop-out among Nigerian youths. The paper identified the problem of the special skills and knowledge demand of life in the twenty-first century and the fact that these knowledge and skills set are better acquired in the schools that have keyed into the facilities provided by the tremendous developments in information and communication technology. Haven identified such problems as academic difficulties and other behaviour problems, the paper maintains that the twenty-first century is a knowledge driven era. It is a period when the skills that worked in previous centuries are no longer working; a period when the skill of critical thinking has become paramount. Adopting a method that is contextual and textual, the paper concludes that for the youth of today to survive and achieve his or her potentials in the high-skill demanding world of today, there is the need to not only return to school, but also to stay there and complete the academic program of study.