The number of early school leavers has been declining gradually over the past decade. However, Malta still ranks in the penultimate position with the second highest share of early school leavers in the European Union.

With almost 20 per cent of young people leaving school early with hardly any skills or qualifications, Malta has a tough uphill struggle to reduce this worrying statistic to 10 per cent, in line with the Europe 2020 target. Indeed, the head of the Early School Leaving Unit says there is very little chance of that happening.

Early school leaving is a threat to the future of the economy but it also exposes many young people to various risks that are difficult to manage in later life. The socio-economic research on the causes and consequences of early school leaving is extensive. The EU has commissioned various studies to get to the root of this problem and help formulate a strategy.

An undeniable reality is that early school leavers are more likely to be unemployed, to be on precarious low-paid jobs and to depend on social welfare to get by. They also find it difficult to make a fresh attempt to reintegrate themselves in the educational system as they often lack the minimum level of communication and numeracy skills needed to follow vocational courses.

Early school leaving is not a phenomenon that affects young people suddenly. Research confirms that it is a culmination of what is usually a long process that often begins before a young person enters school. The interaction between family circumstances, social background and school processes and experiences are complex but they are certainly at the root of the high level of early school leaving that seems to be endemic in our society.

Early school leavers are by no means a homogenous group. Some young people live in various deprived economic and social environments. A 2011 early school leaving study by Roger Dale, a professor of education, found that many early school leavers come from workless households, are more likely to be male rather than female, often come from vulnerable groups such as disabled and substance dependant, may have special educational needs or live in a single parent family where, often, there are physical and mental health problems.

The migrant influx that has hit the EU is bound to aggravate the plight of early school leavers in the next decade.

So the solution to this challenging problem cannot be found in some magic direct policy intervention. Education policymakers need to start by identifying the kind of experiences and circumstances in schools that could be promoting or retarding early school leaving. There are lessons to be learnt from schools that have a lower dropout.

This exercise should start at primary school level because it is there that a pattern of low academic achievement, problem behaviour and poor attendance usually starts. If school managers identify the early signs of erratic behaviour in their pupils in primary school, they can often take more effective corrective measures to prevent more serious dropout rates in secondary schools.

School managers must also involve parents more intensely in their strategy formation to ensure that students complete their secondary education successfully. This is even more important in schools with low socio-economic intakes where early school leaving becomes almost a fatalistic reality that cannot be eliminated.

Equally important is the need to recruit the most motivated teachers who have a passion to rescue ‘at risk’ students through one-to-one mentoring and monitoring.