Despite growing affluence in EU countries in the last few decades, some serious social anomalies persist. The gap between the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ seems to be getting wider. As the modern economy demands better qualified workers, those who enter the labour market with little or no qualifications or skills get tangled up in a vicious circle of deprivation.
Recent education attainment statistics, published by Eurostat, confirm that Malta still has the unenviable record of ranking in the lowest positions with regard to early school leaving, despite significant progress achieved in the last decade. Even defining who qualifies as an early school leaver is difficult. Some young people leave school early but still manage to be successful by working hard to learn a trade, even if they do so in a non-educational environment.
But for most early school leavers the prospects of a successful working life –which is the basis of happiness for most people – is remote. There is no shortage of academic research to prove this worrying reality. In the EU, 10 per cent of children live in families which are below the poverty threshold. An even bigger percentage live in families that are at imminent risk of poverty.
Researchers on early school leaving acknowledge that there are at least five factors that influence the dropout rate of students in schools: family and community; the school environment; peer pressure; the educational system; and the employment market. The interaction between these elements is complex but economic and social policy makers need to understand the dynamics if we are to rescue those young people most at risk of failing to become successful members of society.
The way that social problems are addressed by public institutions and agencies can be counter-productive
I believe that the family factor is possibly the most important factor that still needs to be studied more deeply by our policy makers if we are to come up with a comprehensive strategy to address this long-term threat to our economic and social wellbeing. While every early school leaver has his or her own unique family history there are certain elements that keep cropping up when trying to understand the process of early school leaving.
The family and household variables that seem to encourage early school leaving include: single-parent family, parents with a low level of education, large family size, other dropouts in the family, household stress, family dynamics, limited social support for remaining in school, home-school culture conflict, assumption of adult roles (e.g. caring for younger children or sick parents), pregnancy and childrearing.
No amount of desktop strategic planning by the educational authorities will mitigate the problem of early school leaving unless an effort is made to understand the family environment of those most prone to leave school early. Slapping fines on parents of truant pupils may be well-intentioned but it hardly addresses the root cause of the negative process that young people find themselves in when they drop out of school early.
The way that social problems are addressed by public institutions and agencies can be counter-productive and actually increase the risk of early school leaving.
Various research studies conclude that “the biggest difference between early school leavers and other young people is the level of parental education.” Even when parents can be described as ‘educated’, their understanding of what needs to be done to prepare their children educationally for the tough realities of the modern labour market is often not clear enough. This is leading to hundreds of young people who graduate from tertiary education but end up in low paid jobs because their qualification has little relevance to the needs of industry.
The most serious family characteristics that seem to encourage early school leaving include lack of parental supervision or permissive parenting style. Parents’ lack of involvement with their children when making educational decisions is another negative factor. Poor aspirations regarding children’s schooling also whittles away the ambition to complete the compulsory school years successfully.
Not all children have the same ability to excel in academic or vocational education. But one major enabler for less talented children is their parents’ determination to do what it takes to ensure that their children finish their schooling with at least a formal qualification or skill set.
Early school leaving is a process that starts in pre-school life. Policy-makers need to promote parental aspirations and expectations for their children’s education to prevent them from getting caught up in the vicious cycle of social and economic deprivation.
johncassarwhite@yahoo.com