Early school leaving

Early school leaving is an urgent and serious problem, both for individuals and society as a whole. The EU Member States work together to reduce the number of pupils who drop out before the end of secondary education.

There are many reasons – often highly individual – why some young people give up education and training prematurely: learning difficulties, social problems or a lack of motivation, guidance or support. 
Although the situation varies in different EU countries, the social phenomenon of early school leaving follows certain patterns. Early school leavers are more likely to have a lower socio-economic status or to belong to vulnerable social groups. On average, the rate of early school leaving in Europe is double for youth from migrant backgrounds compared to native youth. In addition, male students are more likely to drop out of school education. 
However, the impacts of individual and social conditions are also affected by the set-up of the educational system and the environment in individual schools. Since there is not a single reason for leaving education or vocational training, there are no easy answers.
 
Tackling early school leaving 
Low levels of education do not only have severe consequences for the young people concerned, but also high economic and social costs for society as a whole. In addition to current demographic changes, European countries cannot afford this enormous waste of talent. 
Strategies to prevent dropping out, or at the least to support young people re-entering mainstream education, must address both education and social policy. They should be ‘evidence-based’ and be adaptable to local, regional and national conditions. 
Preventive can include a wide range of measures such as providing high quality early childhood education and care to give children a good start into education, improving the transition from primary to secondary education, turning schools into encouraging places for all pupils and providing pupils with individual support when needed. In addition, young people who dropped out of education and training need to get a second chance in a learning environment which addresses their specific needs and helps them to re-gain confidence in learning.
 
Co-operation 
In 2003, EU Member States agreed to reduce the share of early school leavers to less then 10% of all 18- to 24-year-olds. This target has not yet been reached and currently one out of six in that age group has only lower secondary education or less (the definition for early school leavers). 
In the strategic framework for cooperation in education and training (ET2020), adopted in 2009, EU Member States have maintained the 2003 benchmark that the average rate of early school leavers should be no more than 10%, and will continue to exchange good practices and experiences in developing policies against early school leaving. 
In June 2010 the European heads of state and government adopted the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. Giving a strong message to Member States they decided that reducing the share of early school leavers to less than 10% Europe-wide by 2020 is one of the headline targets underpinning this strategy. In addition, the Member States agreed to set specific national targets. 
In order to support them the Commission adopted in January 2011 a set of guidelines for policies to reduce early school leaving. In a Communication the Commission outlines the main causes of the problem and the risks for economic and societal development in Europe. It describes the impact early school leaving has on individuals, society and economies, and gives an overview on the existing and forthcoming EU-level measures to tackle it. A Council Recommendation which has been adopted by the Council on 20 May 2011 proposes a framework for coherent, comprehensive and evidence based policies against early school leaving.
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