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Early school leavers in
Lithuania: current situation and
policy
dr. Saulius Zybartas
Director of the Department of General Education and Vocational Training
Ministry of Education and Science
Vilnius, 2013
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EU recommendations:
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•
•
•
Common strategy
Evidence-based policy
Prevention and early intervention
VET prestige
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Concept definitions
Early school leavers aged 18–24 with lower secondary or
lower education and not in education 4 weeks prior to the
research
Dropping
out
Early school
leavers
Leaving school because of different reasons. All forms of
leaving before acquiring general or equal to general
education. Leaving studies without a diploma.
Those having started VET programs but not completed with
a qualification are considered as VET dropouts
School
Children of compulsory age for education (7-16 years old),
children not in not in programs of primary and lower secondary education
education
VET dropouts
6,5
8,8
Nyderlandai
7,5
Švedija
4,2
5,3
Slovakija
Kroatija
5,5
Šveicarija
4,4
5,5
Čekija
Slovėnija
5,7
17,4
17,6
20,1
22,6
2012
Lenkija
LIETUVA
7,6
Austrija
8,1
8,9
Suomija
Liuksemburgas
9,1
9,7
Danija
Airija
10,5
11,4
Kipras
Latvija
11,4
Graikija
10,5
11,5
Vengrija
Estija
11,6
Prancūzija
10,5
11,7
Makedonija
Vokietija
12
Belgija
14,8
13,5
12,5
0
Bulgarija
5
12,8
10
ES 27
Jungtinė Karalystė
Norvegija
Rumunija
Italija
Islandija
20,8
20
Portugalija
Malta
24,9
25
Ispanija
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Early school leavers aged 18–24 in Europe
Europos 2020 siekinys
15
10
Early school leavers: share of youth aged 18-24, percentage
18
17
16,5
16,1
15,8
16
15,5
15
14,8
14,3
14
14
12
13,5
12,8
13,4
11,4
10
10
10,5
8
8,1
8,2
6
8,7
7,4
7,4
2007
2008
8,1
7,2
6,5
4
2
0
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
ES 27
2012
City
Males
Females
Lietuva
4,7
2,6
2009
2010
2011
2012
Europos siekinys 2020
Country
Males
Females
14,3
8,7
2020
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Early leaving from VET in
Lithuania(1)
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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:
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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
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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:
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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.
Elements of prevention system
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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.
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In change of education institution information sharing is
guaranteed.
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Measures to reduce drop out from
VET
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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.
13
th
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Provisions of the
Government of
the Republic of Lithuania
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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
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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