Legal provisions of COM(2011)19 - Proposition de RECOMMANDATION DU CONSEIL concernant les politiques de réduction de l’abandon scolaire

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dossier COM(2011)19 - Proposition de RECOMMANDATION DU CONSEIL concernant les politiques de réduction de l’abandon scolaire.
document COM(2011)19 EN
date June 28, 2011
1.7.2011   ENOfficial Journal of the European UnionC 191/1


COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION

of 28 June 2011

on policies to reduce early school leaving

(Text with EEA relevance)

2011/C 191/01

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Articles 165 and 166 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

Whereas:

(1)The term ‘early school leaving’ is used in connection with those who leave education and training with only lower secondary education or less, and who are no longer in education and training.

(2)Reducing early school leaving is essential for achieving a number of key objectives in the Europe 2020 strategy. The reduction of early school leaving addresses both the aims for ‘smart growth’ by improving education and training levels and the aims for ‘inclusive growth’ by addressing one of the major risk factors for unemployment, poverty and social exclusion. The Europe 2020 strategy therefore includes the headline target to reduce early school leaving to less than 10 % by 2020, from 14,4 % in 2009. Member States have undertaken to establish national targets, taking account of their relative starting positions and national circumstances.

(3)The guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States, contained in Council Decision 2010/707/EU (1), for the implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy call on Member States to take all necessary efforts to prevent early school leaving.

(4)The flagship initiative ‘A European platform against poverty and social exclusion’ sets a framework for action to ensure social and territorial cohesion, with a specific focus on breaking the cycle of disadvantage and stepping up preventive action. It addresses the Europe 2020 headline target to lift at least 20 million people out of poverty and social exclusion in the next decade.

(5)‘Youth on the move’, a flagship initiative within the Europe 2020 strategy, aims to ‘enhance the performance and international attractiveness of Europe’s higher education institutions and raise the overall quality of all levels of education and training in the EU, combining both excellence and equity, by promoting student mobility and trainees’ mobility, and improve the employment situation of young people’.

(6)The Council conclusions of 5-6 May 2003 on reference levels of European average performance in education and training (benchmarks) stated that the share of early school leavers should be below 10 % by 2010, defining early school leavers as persons between 18 and 24 years old with only lower secondary education or less and no longer in education or training. The benchmark was not attained. One in seven young people currently leave education and training before they have completed upper secondary education.

(7)The Council Resolution of 15 November 2007 on the new skills for new jobs (2) stressed the need to raise overall skill levels and to give priority to the education and training of those at risk of economic and social exclusion, particularly early school leavers. They underlined the need to provide vocational guidance and personal training plans to job seekers and to develop the validation of learning outcomes acquired through formal, informal and non-formal learning.

(8)The Council conclusions of 22 May 2008 on adult learning recognise the role of adult learning in addressing early school leaving by offering a second chance to those who reach adulthood without a qualification, focusing especially on basic skills, IT skills and language learning.

(9)In its conclusions of 12 May 2009 on a strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training (‘ET 2020’) the Council agreed that, by 2020, the share of early leavers from education and training should be less than 10 %.

(10)The Council conclusions of 26 November 2009 on the education of children with a migrant background noted that while large numbers of children with a migrant background succeed in education, students with a migrant background are generally more likely to leave school early. For migrants the average early school leaving rate across the Union is double that of native students. Available evidence indicates that early school leaving is even higher among the Roma population.

(11)The Council agreed in May 2010 in its conclusions on the social dimension of education and training that the successful prevention of early school leaving requires the development of knowledge about groups at risk of dropping out at local, regional and national level, and systems for identifying early individuals who are at such risk, and concluded that comprehensive and cross-sectoral strategies should be implemented, which provide a range of school-wide and systemic policies targeting the different factors leading to early school leaving.

(12)The reasons for early school leaving differ widely from country to country and also within regions. Policies to reduce early school leaving need to be adjusted to the specific situation within a local area, region or country; there is no single solution for all Member States.

(13)Despite the differences between countries and regions, there is strong evidence in all Member States that disadvantaged and vulnerable groups are more affected. In addition, young people with special educational needs are overrepresented among early leavers from education and training. Early school leaving both results from social disadvantage and perpetuates the risk of social exclusion.

(14)Whilst fully respecting the principle of subsidiarity, a European framework for comprehensive policies on early school leaving can help Member States to review existing policies, to develop their national reform programmes under the Europe 2020 strategy, and to implement strategies with a high impact and a good cost-benefit ratio. It can also provide a basis for collaboration through the open method of coordination and a focus for the use of Union funding instruments.

(15)Education reforms take time to have effect. In order to achieve a reduction of early school leaving rates within the next decade and reach the Europe 2020 target, comprehensive and cross-sectoral strategies on early school leaving need to be implemented as soon as possible,

HEREBY RECOMMENDS THAT MEMBER STATES:

Make use of the framework set out in the Annex to this Recommendation, according to national circumstances, in order to:

1.Identify the main factors leading to early school leaving and monitor the characteristics of the phenomenon at national, regional and local level as the foundation for targeted and effective evidence-based policies.

2.Ensure that comprehensive strategies on early school leaving are in place by the end of 2012, and that they are implemented in line with national priorities and the Europe 2020 objectives. Comprehensive strategies are taken to include prevention measures, intervention measures and compensation measures, the latter being aimed at re-engaging people who have dropped out of education.

3.Ensure that those strategies include appropriate measures for groups at increased risk of early school leaving in the Member State, such as children with a socio-economically disadvantaged, migrant or Roma background, or with special educational needs.

4.Ensure that those strategies address in a coherent manner both general education and vocational education and training, and the challenges specific to each.

5.Integrate measures which support the reduction of early school leaving rates in relevant policies targeted at children and young people, and coordinate activities among different policy sectors.

6.Whilst acknowledging the key role played by teachers, school leaders and other educational staff, ensure the involvement in those measures and activities of all relevant stakeholders to help people who are at risk of early school leaving, including those who have dropped out already.

INVITES THE COMMISSION:

1.Within the ET 2020, to contribute to the efforts made by Member States by monitoring developments at different education levels across Member States in order to identify trends.

2.To support Member States’ strategies through the exchange of experience and good practice, and to facilitate effective peer learning, networking and experimentation with innovative approaches among the Member States on measures aimed at reducing early school leaving and improving the educational outcomes of children from groups at risk of early school leaving.

3.To integrate measures which support the reduction of early school leaving rates in all relevant Union actions targeted at children and young adults.

4.To support the development of effective policies against early school leaving by launching comparative studies and research, and to encourage cooperation between the Member States in this area.

5.To ensure, in cooperation with the Member States, and without prejudice to the negotiations on the future financial framework, that the Union programmes in the fields of lifelong learning, youth and research, as well as the European Structural Funds, support and contribute to the implementation of Member States’ strategies on early school leaving.

6.To report periodically on the progress towards the Europe 2020 target and on the implementation of Member States’ strategies on early school leaving through the Annual Growth Survey and within the reporting arrangements under the ET 2020.