Student Dropout in Diploma in Civil Engineering: A Case Study of Kathmandu Valley

Abstract

The thesis titled "Student Dropout in Diploma in Civil Engineering: A Case Study of Kathmandu Valley” analyses the causes of high dropout rates in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) diploma programs especially civil engineering courses offered by the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) in Nepal. However, the enrollment has been encouraging, but most of the students drop out due to academic difficulties, socio-economic factors, and organizational factors. Learning problems especially in the core subjects such as mathematics, physics and chemistry are compounded by shift from Nepali medium to English medium education, resulting in students dropping out of school. In addition, there is no institutional support such as remedial classes and counseling among the students which leads to dropout. Pressure from friends, financial problems, and a belief that there are few jobs available after the diploma also contribute to students’ dropout. This research adopts an interpretive research approach to examine how the factors like academic difficulties, socio-economic factors, and organizational factors affect dropout rates and the views of the students who have dropped out of the program. The study employs a case study method to explore challenges that students encounter academically and personally. Furthermore, the study looks at the dimensions of dropout, such as male students dropping out in larger numbers; female students having their own problems, such as gendered discrimination in the labor market. The results suggest that there is a dire need of changes in the different components of TVET programs, especially in the curriculum, mode of instruction used in teaching-learning, and institutional support to students. To increase retention and student success, gender-sensitive policies, improvement in the teaching learning modes, and career counselling are suggested in the study. According to the study, the factors mentioned above can be tackled in a comprehensive manner in order to minimize dropout rates and increase the relevance of TVET programs to the labor market. Through effective institutional support and practical learning opportunities, the TVET institutions can increase the student retention and overall program quality especially in the diploma civil engineering discipline.