Many children are not leaving school just because of material or structural gaps. Even when those needs are met, some still cannot stay because they are surrounded by hunger, the threat of early marriage, conflict, grief, and pressure to provide for their families. These realities travel with them into the classroom.
If the goal is to retain children in school, serious attention must be paid to what pushes them out. Many are labelled “disruptive” when they are simply grieving or scared. These challenges go beyond poverty or infrastructure. They reflect emotional neglect in systems that prioritize performance over presence.