Brussels, 08/10/2003 (Agence Europe) - All necessary energy and resources must be used to contain the phenomenon of failure at school, Italian Minister of Education Letizia Moratti said on the occasion of a ministerial conference bringing together the education ministers and specialists of the European Union. The meeting was held at San Patrignano, near Rimini (Italy) on 3 and 4 October. Figures relating to the number of students who drop out of their studies are too high, she added, saying that Europe's aim is to reduce this number from 19% to 10% by 2010. "There are social reasons causing pupils to drop out of school which can be identified at an early age and tackled with speed", the minister continued according to comments reported by the Italian press agency ANSA. "However, prevention alone is not enough", she explained, saying that what is needed are "more personalised school courses that correspond better to the needs and abilities of the young". Participants at the conference also recognised the need to have an exchange of experience on "best practice". This would be an "extremely useful" procedure, Letizia Moratti stressed, in order to "reduce failure at school and provide all young people with an opportunity to have a qualification, a diploma, and hence a surer and better paid job". "We cannot allow ourselves to leave part of our young to one side in a society that is becoming globalised", European Education Commissioner Viviane Reding said for her part. She added: "We must therefore intensify our effort to achieve the goals set by the European Council". This theme should be on the agenda of the next Education Ministers' Council to be held in Brussels on 24 and 25 November.
The Lisbon Summit, in March 2000, had included among its goals that of reducing by half, by 2010, the number of persons aged 18-24 who have not completed the first part of secondary education and who do not continue with their studies or with their training.