谁在辍学?——来自中国西部少数民族农村地区的证据

Who Drops out? Evidence from Minority Ethnic Groups in Rural Areas of Western China

基础教育的缺失仍是影响发展中国家进步的主要问题之一。探究中国西部少数民族农村地区小学生辍学的现状及影响因素具有重要意义。本文通过对14761名小学生一手调查数据的实证分析,发现中国西部少数民族农村地区样本学生的届辍学率为2.5%,小学阶段的累积辍学率高达8.2%,显著高于国家公布的官方数据。同时,女孩辍学的问题更加严重,累积有23%的回族女生可能会在小学阶段辍学。基于实证研究的结果,本文建议教育部门应重视少数民族农村地区小学生的辍学问题,采取更多措施防治辍学,保障少数民族农村地区学生接受教育的机会。

Primary school dropout remains a challenge in man y developing countries.Thus it is of great significance to explore the dropout rate and correlates of dropout in primary schools from minority-concentrated in western rural China.Using a first-hand dataset of14761primary students from minority-concentrated in western China,w e demonstrate that the annual dropout rate in poor rural areas is2.5percent,suggesting a cumulative dropout of8.2percent,which are significantly higher than the official rates.Most noteworthy,23percent of Hui girls are dropping out by the end of grade6.Our findings call for more attention to China’s primary school dropout issue-especially in minority areas.Policymakers should begin to examine n ew ways to increase the chances for minority students to succeed in the educational system.