2023-11-22 17:11:39
The observation is alarming, even more so since the health crisis (Covid) which has clearly worsened the problem of dropping out of school among our students, linked moreover to weakened mental health.
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The Minister of Education gives an overview of the latest figures in her possession (they date from November 15). It is no surprise in secondary education that the absenteeism rate is the highest: 9.7% in specialized education, even if this only concerns around 1,700 students and 3.7% in ordinary secondary education, this which represents more than 13,000 students.
In our primary schools, the phenomenon concerns 1% of those who attend ordinary education (around 3,200 students) and 2.3% of those who attend a specialized school (around 360 children)… But it already begins in 3rd kindergarten (year where compulsory schooling begins) and affects 0.9% of ordinary nursery schools and 1.7% of specialized nursery schools, respectively 1,500 children in the first and around twenty children in the second.
Brussels and Hainaut
Broken down by sub-region, the absenteeism rate is 2.7% in Brussels, 2.5% in Hainaut, 2% in Liège. The rate falls to 1% in the province of Luxembourg and 0.9% in Walloon Brabant.
“In ordinary secondary education, the years of study most affected by absenteeism are the professional and qualifying sections but also the complementary years, whether differentiated or additional years,” comments the minister.
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Ms. Désir’s predecessor, Marie-Martine Schyns (Les Engagés) was rightly concerned regarding the situation this week in committee: “In certain Brussels schools, the testimonies of those responsible for school retention services are very alarmist: there have never been so many students affected and, above all, they have never had so many absences so early in the year. The Pact for Excellent Teaching aims to reduce school dropouts by 50% by 2030. But since the health crisis, school dropout figures have been on the rise. They were already worrying last February since they reported an increase of more than 30%.”
New decree
Minister Désir is preparing a decree which will complete her strategy and the key word of which is the speed of intervention with students who are at risk of dropping out: the ambition is to have it come into force at the start of the school year at the end of August 2024 .
Read also School dropout hits in Quebec as in Wallonia: Caroline Désir prepares a new decree
We are talking here regarding monitoring and individual support for each student in a situation or at risk of dropping out. This will be broken down into three axes: individual targeted prevention, intervention and compensation. At each stage, a speaker will be clearly defined so that each student is supported appropriately. Their work will be coordinated with field workers and the pilot will ensure the continuity of support over time.
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