3 of 10 students drop out
THREE of 10 Filipino college students who were supposed to graduate this year dropped out, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) said on Thursday.
The dropout rate for last school year was lower than at the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, CHED Chairman Prospero E. de Vera III told a House of Representatives hearing on Thursday.
About 37% of students dropped out during the school year 2021-2022. The college dropout rate spiked to 41.03% the following school year before settling at 29.4% in 2024, according to CHED data.
The government shuttered schools and imposed a sweeping lockdown in March 2020 to curb the spread of COVID-19, forcing them to shift to online classes.
Universities and colleges should increase their support for students to discourage them from dropping out, Northern Samar Rep. Paul R. Daza told BusinessWorld, citing the need to increase scholarship opportunities and allowances.
“Local government units should also support National Government efforts by providing financial assistance to our needy students,” he said in a Viber message. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio