Early school leaving in secondary school is a widely debated issue in Italy. An analysis by the Study Centre of the Fondazione Articolo 49 reveals worrying figures: in 2023, the school dropout rate reached 10.5%, exceeding the European Union’s 2030 target of 9%.
Italy ranks fifth among EU countries with the highest rates of early school leavers, following Romania, Spain, Germany, and Hungary.
Among Italian regions, Sardinia has a school dropout rate of 17.3%, one of the highest in Italy and Europe. This means that nearly one in five students leaves school before completing their studies, a troubling indication of regional educational disparities. This situation is not uniform across the country: Trentino-Alto Adige and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, for example, report a dropout rate of less than 5%. Therefore, the local nature of this phenomenon and the need to address it with targeted actions are evident.
The economic and territorial context plays a primary role in these dropouts. Students from areas with low economic development and inadequate transportation systems are more likely to drop out due to the difficulties in reaching the schools. The socio-economic status of students’ families is another important issue that can influence their choices: the difficulty in sustaining education-related costs (such as the purchase of books and school supplies or the cost of transportation) or the need to support family income leads young people to search for a job instead of attending school. A third factor is related to personal motivation, which, in turn, can be influenced by other factors.
The educational institution plays a central role in combating early school leaving.
A proper guidance system guides students in the difficult choice of the upper secondary education path most suited to their inclinations. Finding a school that gives value and enhances the necessary skills to succeed leads students to continue their studies, as they see a concrete prospect of personal success. Therefore, guidance represents an effective tool for containing dropouts.
But it is not only through guidance that schools can counter school dropouts. The above-listed causes and, among them, a condition of inequality concerning the context of origin of many young people who drop out of school, produce in the long term further cultural, social, and economic inequalities that affect those who have interrupted their studies.
Therefore, it is necessary to involve young people through initiatives and projects in both the scholastic and civic spheres, to form not only educated adults but, above all, aware citizens. To achieve this goal, Global Citizenship Education can be an incentive and a valid response to counter educational poverty, school dropouts, and reduce inequalities.
GCE’s projects and initiatives enable young people to express their skills, to be active citizens, and to recognize themselves as part of a local and global community. They can feel motivated to continue their studies and to break the spiral of exclusion within which they risk losing themselves.
Global Citizenship Education can really be an effective support tool in fighting school dropout: through the Global Education Time project, we are developing targeted initiatives in four regions in Italy and providing free educational materials to be shared with teachers and schools. Discover them on the Italian website and follow us on social media to always be updated on our work.
