The young generations are the pillar of the community in a nation for many reasons. Youth education is an influential factor in inducing community development in the country. However, school dropout in developing countries is still high rate for various reasons. In some countries like Sri Lanka, which provides free education until university, some students do not continue to their high school or tertiary level educations even if they have eligibility requirements. This study explores the factors limiting higher education for young people and their challenges after school dropouts, especially those who stopped their education at the ordinary level and continued working in Jaffna town's textile shops. The study was conducted within Jaffna town, and the data was collected by getting information from female and male young people working in textile shops in the area. A total of 84 respondents, an equal number of males and females aged between 16 and 25, were selected through random sampling from the young in the textile shops. From the surveys, the study found various insights on the discontinuity of education among the youth. They faced different problems from various levels: family, socio-economic conditions, and cultural backgrounds. They revealed that they work with stress due to the multitasked assigned to them while working in the textile shops. Further, they stated that they are embarrassed when they face their classmate who continues (continued) higher education. Furthermore, they accepted that their friends who continued to the next level of study have a better life than them. Therefore, this study helps identify the approaches and policies to address the intention to follow higher education among young people rather than working in these textile shops or any low-skill jobs.

Authors:
Niththijanantham Baskaran, University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka

About the Presenter(s)
Mr. N. Baskaran is a Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka. His research areas are War and Social conflict, Sociology of Disability, Youth and Women Empowerment, Migration, and Urban-Rural Communities, Sociology of education

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