More and more young people are dropping out of school without a diploma. Education Minister Dijkgraaf wrote in a letter to the House of Representatives that in the 2021-2022 academic year, more than 30,000 young people – almost all MBO students – are leaving school without a so-called basic qualification. That’s over 5,000 year-on-year, the highest figure in a decade. The core qualification is at least a qualification at HAVO, VWO or MBO level 2.
According to the minister, an important reason is the low motivation of young people in times of Corona. Schools were later closed and lectures were often given online. Many students tended to prefer work to school because of the tight job market.
More structural reasons are the youth’s personal problems such as debts and mental health problems, the wrong choice of work, and insufficient support for young people at high risk of dropping out of school.
hold on to life
The number of school dropouts worries Dijkgraaf because these young people then lead an uncertain life. According to the minister, society “cannot afford” so many MBO students drop out without a degree.
School leavers are unemployed earlier, use health and social services more frequently, and are more likely to commit crimes. “Ultimately, an apprenticeship or basic qualification provides an orientation in life, a future with more opportunities,” says Dijkgraaf.
‘Hanging service for a short-term solution’
MBO Assembly Speaker Adnan Tekin describes the dropout rate as “worrying”. “It’s interesting that young people drop out of school and work full-time somewhere because of the labor market shortage and huge financial problems,” he says in the NOS Radio 1 Journal. “It’s a short-term solution, but if you don’t have a degree and the job market is different, you might be the first to go.”
Tekin also finds it “disturbing” that young people often have to decide on a field of study at the age of 13 or 14. “Many students then make the wrong choice.”
The minister wants to reduce the number of school leavers to 18,000 by 2026. After the summer, he wants to present a plan that focuses on structural causes.
Source: NOS
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
