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\begin{document}

\title{Factors Affecting Students' Dropout Rate During COVID-19}



\author[1]{Anita Shuja}%
\author[2]{Prof. Dr. Akhtar Ali}%
\author[2]{Sana Shuja Ahmad Khan}%
\author[2]{Shafiqa Bilal Burki}%
\author[2]{Shaham Bilal Buki}%
\affil[1]{The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan.}%
\affil[2]{Affiliation not available}%


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  \date{June 14, 2024}


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\begin{abstract}
Education has always been considered as the linchpin for a country's
economic and social development. The dropout rate in schools especially
in third-world countries has always been a problematic issue and the
situation has further been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study
primarily aims at studying the factors affecting the school dropout rate
during pandemic. Lockdown is the first step that any country starts to
adopt for the safety of its general public. This severely affects the
masses' financial conditions, especially for the parents of students at
risk, as the dropout rate increases with financial pressures. The slogan
``stay home stay safe'' has further aggravated the fear of the parents
to send their children out and attend schools. The data for the study
was collected from twenty public and private schools of two divisions,
including seven districts of the province of Punjab, Pakistan, using
interviews of policymakers, parents of dropouts, teachers, and students.
The study is corollary to several issues already highlighted in various
other articles to transpire the details of drop-out rates in developing
countries in general and Pakistan in particular. The study revealed
financial conditions, lockdown effects, mode of learning, government
policies, fear of death, the psyche of the parents, socio-cultural
effects, the role of teachers and administrators, most affected level,
contributory factors were amongst the major factors. Finally, the study
will analyze the effects of dropout and will help suggest measures to
control the dropout rate in Pakistan in particular and third world
countries in general.%
\end{abstract}%



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\textbf{24\textsuperscript{th} August 2021}

\textbf{Dr. Anita Shuja}

\emph{Assistant Professor, Department of Education, The Islamia
University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan.
Email:}dranitashuja@gmail.com\emph{.}

\textbf{Prof. Dr. Akhtar Ali}

\emph{Dean, Faculty of Education, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur,
Pakistan.}

\textbf{Sana Shuja Ahmad Khan}

\emph{M.Phil. Scholar, Business School, University of Central Punjab,
Pakistan.}

\textbf{Shafiqa Bilal Burki}

\emph{BS(Hons) Management Sciences, The University of Punjab, Pakistan.}

\textbf{Shaham Bilal Buki}

\emph{BS(Hons) Management Sciences, The University of Punjab, Pakistan.}

\textbf{Author's Note}

Dr. Anita Shuja is now an assistant professor at The Islamia University
of Bahawalpur, Pakistan.

\textbf{Acknowledgment}

The author would like to thank Allah for everything. The author also
wants to thank her husband, family and Mrs. Abida Altaf and Mr. Altaf
for their support, constant love and encouragement.

\textbf{Declaration of Conflicting Interests}

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect
to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

\textbf{Funding}

The author(s) received no financial support for the research,
authorship, and/or publication of this article.

\textbf{Ethical consideration} . All ethical considerations were kept in
mind so that the respondents can be approached in a decent and in an
appropriate manner and no willful or unintentional shortcuts were
adopted which could have irritated the interviewees.

\textbf{Hosted file}

\verb`Covid 19 and students' dropout in Pakistan.docx`  available at \url{https://authorea.com/users/719746/articles/704691-factors-affecting-students-dropout-rate-during-covid-19}

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