Abstract:
Despite international initiatives to ensure Universal Secondary Education, many countries continue to face issues with secondary school retention and completion. As this thesis will demonstrate, this may be due to a wide variety of economic, institutional and social factors which influence a students decision to discontinue their secondary education. Utilizing Guyana as a case study, this thesis illustrates the multiplicity of factors causing a decline in secondary school completion rates. The decline in secondary school completion rates signals a critical concern for the future of Guyana's national development objectives. Given the importance of secondary education to the development process, this thesis recommends that Guyana address these issues through a multifaceted approach that includes their current educational policy, the Education Strategic Plan 2008-2013, and an incentive based approach such a as a Conditional Cash Transfer.