Council conclusions on reducing early school leaving
November 27, 2015
The conclusions take stock of the progress made so far, with a view to reviewing, consolidating and improving measures. According to 2014 data, 11.1 % of 18 to 24 year olds have left education and training without completing an upper secondary programme (around 4.4 million young people). Huge discrepancies remain within and between member states and the comprehensive strategies advocated in the 2011 Council Recommendation are still lacking in many countries.
For this reason, the EU and the member states acknowledge the need to actively pursue efforts to achieve, and where possible exceed, the Europe 2020 target. The Council asks to pursue implementation of the 2011 Council Recommendation by continuing the process of developing and implementing comprehensive strategies, with a strong emphasis on prevention, and by ensuring the committed participation of and long-term cooperation between stakeholders from all relevant areas (notably education and training, employment, economic affairs, social affairs, health, housing, youth, culture and sport).
The Conclusions emphasise generalised, equitable access to affordable, high quality early childhood education and care, and collaborative (‘whole-school’) approaches to reducing early school leaving at local level.
The conclusions