FAMILY'S SOCIO-ECONOMIC INFLUENCE ON THE DROPOUT OF INDIAN STUDENTS: A CASE STUDY IN THE DISTRICT OF KUALA MUDA KEDAH

The problem of dropping out of Indian students should be addressed especially with regard to low-income households (B40). There are many factors driving the dropout of Indian students in schools. The purpose of this study is to examine the socioeconomic factors of the family and the parents' commitment to Indian student dropout. Among its objectives are to identify the socioeconomic influence of the family and the parents' commitment to the dropout of Indian students; learn about the implications of Indian student dropout rates and identify steps to curb Indian student dropout problems. This study was conducted in selected areas in Kuala Muda District of Kedah State, Malaysia involving high school dropout Indian students. This research is qualitative and cannot be extended to other states as researchers use interviewing, observation and documentation research. The respondents to this study were 5 dropout students, mostly from B40 families. The findings of this study found that low socioeconomic influence of parents and lack of parental commitment to children's education caused students to drop out of school. The implications of dropping Indian students are also discussed and some suggestions have been made to reduce dropout rates among Indian students.