During the Soweto Dialogues last Wednesday at Uncle Tom’s Hall in Orlando West, Vice-Chancellor of Wits, Professor Adam Habib, said that a common reason why students drop out is because of lack of funding.
He said that a study was done and found out that they are students who go to lecture classes on an empty stomach.
“How can a student learn on an empy stomach, these are some of the reasons why students end up dropping out,” said Habib.
He said some students resort to drastic measures such as prostitution in order to pay for their fees .
He said that another reason why students from previously disadvantaged areas drop out is because of lack of resources, facilities and bad living conditions.
“Some of the university residences are in a bad condition and are accommodating more students than they should be,” he said.
A University of Johannesburg student who was at the dialogue said that he feels that some students drop out because they lack motivation and inspiration. He said that they focus more on other things and tend to neglect their school work.