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Early school leavers in Lithuania: current situation and

policydr. Saulius Zybartas

Director of the Department of General Education and Vocational Training Ministry of Education and Science

Vilnius, 2013

EU recommendations:

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• Common strategy• Evidence-based policy • Prevention and early intervention • VET prestige

Concept definitions

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Early school leavers

Dropping out

Early school leavers aged 18–24 with lower secondary or

lower education and not in education 4 weeks prior to

the research

Leaving school because of different reasons. All forms

of leaving before acquiring general or equal to general

education. Leaving studies without a diploma.

VET dropouts

School children not in education

Those having started VET programs but not completed with

a qualification are considered as VET dropouts

Children of compulsory age for education (7-16 years

old), not in programs of primary and lower secondary

education

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Early school leavers aged 18–24 in Europe

24,9

22,6

20,8

20,1

17,6

17,4

14,8

13,5

12,8

12,5

12

11,7

11,6

11,5

11,4

11,4

10,5

10,5

10,5

9,7

9,1

8,9

8,8

8,1

7,6

7,5

6,5

5,7

5,5

5,5

5,3

4,4

4,2

10

0

5

10

15

20

25

Ispa

nija

Mal

ta

Portu

galij

a

Isla

ndija

Italij

a

Rum

unija

Nor

vegi

ja

Jung

tinė

Kar

alys

tė

ES 2

7

Bul

garij

a

Bel

gija

Mak

edon

ija

Pran

cūzi

ja

Veng

rija

Gra

ikija

Kip

ras

Voki

etija

Estij

a

Latv

ija

Airi

ja

Dan

ija

Suom

ija

Nyd

erla

ndai

Liuk

sem

burg

as

Aus

trija

Šved

ija

LIET

UVA

Lenk

ija

Ček

ija

Švei

carij

a

Slov

akija

Slov

ėnija

Kro

atija

2012 Europos 2020 siekinys

Early school leavers: share of youth aged 18-24, percentage

17 16,5 16,1 15,8 15,5 15 14,8 14,3 14 13,512,8

11,410,5

8,1 8,27,4 7,4

8,7 8,17,2

6,5

13,4

10

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2020

ES 27 Lietuva Europos siekinys 2020

2012City Males 4,7 Country Males 14,3

Females 2,6 Females 8,7

Early leaving from VET in Lithuania(1)

• Official statistical data evidences that during one school year around 15-16 % of students drop out from VET programmes

• A wide variation in drop-out rates amongst different VET institutions, varying from several percent to 30% per annum

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What are the motives for dropping out from VET ?

Survey of VET institutions showed that:

• Major reasons for students to drop out from VET are of a financial (economic) nature: moving abroad or seeking a job in Lithuania

• Important personal reasons that influence students’decision to discontinue their education: lack of learning motivation and weak previous preparation at general education institutions.

• A tendency is observed that sometimes employers with unqualified worker salary “tempt” students to discontinue

VET

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Early school leaving outcomes

In 2011 in the EU 54,8 % of early school leavers were unemployed, but around 70 % intended to get a job

In Lithuania : • one third of early school leavers employed, • one third - not employed but with intention to get a job,• the rest – not in employment and not intending to get a

job

In 2012 youth aged 15–24 and unemployed:• in the EU - 22,8 %• in Lithuania - 26,4 %

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How to prevent early school leaving?

Directions to reduce the numbers of early school leavers should include:

• Preventive mechanisms. Enabling youth to use their learning potential and successfully integrate at school.

• Intervention mechanisms. Prevention of dropping out: reacting to first signs and offering support to youth at risk.

• Compensation mechanisms. To help drop outs, offering ways of returning to education and acquiring a qualification.

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Elements of prevention system

Early warning

Prepared and implemented information system of dropouts and children not in education– NEMIS.

Information collected:

•dropouts and children/students not in education;

•reasons,

•education support offered.

In change of education institution information sharing is guaranteed.

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Measures to reduce drop out from VET

• Social, educational and psychological support, work with parents

• Material support, incentives

• Flexible scheduling for working students and students having children

• Improvement of learning environment, investments into training basis

• Student adaptation programmes for “new comers”

• Career education, meetings with employers and successful graduates to prove that it is worth to have a qualification.

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Provisions of the 16th Government of the Republic of Lithuania

• Increasing accessibility of early education and better quality

• Decisions regarding school network are made on the basis of quality of services provided by school and the importance of the school in the local society

• Orientation towards high quality secondary education and better accesibility to education for all

• VET attractiveness to the youth and usefulness for the country and society

• Better image of VET

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Implementation of 16th Government programme

• Action plan for strengthening of lowe-secondary schools and progymnasiums

• Yellow buses programme for 2013–2017

• Action plan for increasing access to inclusive education

• Prevention programmes for safe school non-formal education

• Children and youth socialisation action plan

• Vocational education and training development action plan

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Planned investments in ESF 2014-2020 period

Investment priority (9.2)

“Prevention and reducing of drop-outs number and securing of equal conditions to gain high-quality prie-primar, primary, basic and upper-secondary education“

Concrete objective:

“To decrease number of early drop outs and number of students who haven;t finished general education programme” (9.2.2)

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Thank you for your attention

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