Many Member States have made significant progress in tackling early school leaving, according to the progress report on making a European education area a reality by 2025, published by the European Commission on Friday 18 November (see EUROPE 12571/8).
By 2021, the EU average level of early school leavers had decreased from 12.6% in 2012 to 9.7% in 2021, with the target for 2025 set at 9.0%. The most remarkable progress has been recorded in countries such as Portugal (20.5% in 2012, 5.9% in 2021), Spain (24.7% in 2012, 13.3% in 2021) and Greece (11.3% in 2012, 3.2% in 2021). Ten countries are still performing below the European average.
In a well-functioning European education area, the proportion of 15 year olds with insufficient mastery of basic skills (science, reading and mathematics, computer skills) should be less than 15% in each Member State. By the end of 2021, only Estonia (11.1%), Ireland (11.8%), Finland (13.5%) and Poland (14.7%) had reached the EU reading literacy target. For mathematics, the countries that had achieved this were Estonia (10.2%), Denmark (14.6%), Poland (14.7%) and Finland (15.0%).
The Commission will present a mid-term report on the European Education Area in 2023.
More info at: https://aeur.eu/f/451 (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)