The joint reading of data on early school leaving classically understood (12.7%) and implicit (9.5%) shows that, at national level, the student population that is in a condition of fragility of learning stands at over 20 percent, one in 5 young people.
This was stated by the Minister of Education Giuseppe Valditara during a hearing underway in the Culture Committee in the Senate.
"The goal imposed by the PNR is to reduce the percentage by 2.5 points, thus avoiding that in the coming years about 470 thousand young people leave school before graduation", added the minister.
Italy in the last 20-30 years has achieved great results in the fight against early school leaving
Suffice it to say that in 1992 it was 37.5%, to stand at 12.7% in 2021, as shown by the latest Eurostat survey. Despite this, the levels of early school leaving still remain too high and the goal set by the PNR for 2026 is the reduction to 10.2 percent, without prejudice to the objective of reducing early school leaving to 9 percent by 2030, as part of the construction of the European Education Area. In 2021, Italy had an early leavers rate of 12.7 percent, better only than Spain (13.3) and Romania (15.3) among EU countries, while 16 member states have already reached the target of falling below the 9 percent threshold, well ahead of 2030.
Analyzing the Italian data, we note a strong disparity between regions and a very pronounced and intolerable disadvantage in the South.
In Sicily, early school leaving stands at 21.1 percent, in Puglia at 17.6 percent, in Campania at 16.4 percent and in Calabria at 14 percent. The numbers were provided by the Minister of Education Valditara
Among the actions aimed at combating early school leaving, there are also building interventions for school canteens for which 600 million euros have been provided with the funds of the PNRR. In fact, the relevant literature has highlighted how full-time is a fundamental tool to combat early school leaving and can bring benefits to pupils, especially those in greater difficulty, continues the minister. The strengthening of the systems for monitoring absences and reporting school evasion also deserves particular mention, to promptly activate actions aimed at the reintegration, in good time, of the student and the recovery of regular attendance", continued Valditara, who added: "We do not close any school complex while I highlight that there are no more teachers available to go to disadvantaged areas.
Dopidiché the minister underlines the importance of technical vocational education "which is of the first class. I undertake to present by May an experimental proposal that goes alongside the traditional path", he concludes.
The Ministry of Education has identified the schools whose students need a strengthening of minimum skills in Italian, mathematics and English, based on the annual surveys prepared by Invalsi and which are therefore at risk of interruption of school career and dropout.
The measures to be taken by the beneficiary schools provide active, personalized and flexible learning experiences to adapt to the training needs of each one, with support activities. The Ministry has therefore defined the criteria and procedures for the allocation of an allocation of 500 million euros, provided for by the PNRR, for the schools benefiting from the project. These are actions that consist in the creation of orientation paths, strengthening of basic skills, motivation and accompaniment, orientation for families, training courses and co-curricular workshops and organization of teams for the prevention of early school leaving.
As of 28 February 2023, all the educational institutions identified by the decree have submitted their projects, which are currently being implemented. The investment also includes the creation of a platform for training activities, with the aim of creating a simple interaction channel, conveying educational and orientation content, encouraging communication and continuous monitoring of learning processes and offering constant motivational answers and reinforcements to the student throughout the activities.
Among the recent initiatives, Minister Valditara then recalled the experimentation of new ways to combat early school leaving which provides for interventions in 150 schools in the South and which will be part of a special "Southern Agenda". The program of this intervention pays particular attention to the function of training, orientation and strengthening tutoring. The latter is aimed precisely at students at risk of dropping out and school failure who show low motivational levels and specific fragility in some disciplines. Finally, the experimentation aims at the involvement of parents and a full and real sharing of responsibilities with families.
