1. Drop-out phenomenon and good practices in Greece Penelope Stathakopoulos Managing Director of IEKEP 30.05/08

2. The Greek Educational System

3. Drop-out rates Gymnasium : 6,09% General Lyceum : 3,32% Vocational Lyceum : 28,82% Source: Ministry of Employment and Social Protection

4. DROPPING OUT IN GYMNASIUM ACROSS GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS (Pupil generation 2000-01) Source: Pedagogical Institute, 2005

5. DROPPING OUT IN GENERAL LYCEUM ACROSS GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS (Pupil generation 2000-01) Source: Pedagogical Institute, 2005

6. Major Reasons For Dropping Out Of School Social, economic, family pressures to abandon school School failure Source: Ministry of Employment and Social Protection

7. Whatever the reasons, however: The decision to drop out of school is not an instant decision but the outcome of a long procedure Low performance and the dislike/rejection of school starts a long time before the young person decides to abandon school Source: Ministry of Employment and Social Protection

8. Disadvantaged Young People in Greece Roma Repatriated ethnic Greeks Immigrants Refugees Cultural and Religious Minorities Inhabitants of mountainous & remote regions Juvenile delinquents Addicts and ex addicts of drugs Individuals with disability Individuals with mental illness HIV positive patients Source: Ministry of Employment and Social Protection

9. Characteristics of Disadvantaged Young People in Greece Lack of basic skills & competencies, due to early school leaving or early language deficiencies Deficiencies: mental, physical or psychological Delinquent Behaviour Social Isolation: no contact with the institutions and actions that meet their needs Source: Greek Manpower Employment Organization

10. Causes that provoke Disadvantage Low socio-economic level of the region, area, district Low socio-economic and educational level of the parents Educational System not flexible resulting in: – Low performance – Drop outs Living in areas where access to school is extremely difficult

11. Causes that provoke Disadvantage Parental negligence Parental prejudices concerning the necessity of school (minorities, rural areas) Teenage pregnancies Need to contribute to family income Other natural deficits

12. Policy Gap Absence of a coordinated educational system Absence of qualitative vocational guidance and support Limited connection of education with the labour market Absence of an organised transition system from Education to the labour market The educational and social system ignores the disadvantaged youth

13. Policy Requirement Vocational guidance for re-integrating young people Empowerment & training programs

14. Operating Policies Second Chance Schools Support Teaching Foreign & Minority Schools Evening Education

15. Second Chance Schools Target Group: 18 years old and above Curriculum: incorporates principles of Lifelong Learning Pedagogical method: individualized relation of student-teacher

16. Support Teaching Operates in all upper-secondary education Service is free of charge and open to all students Aim: to assist students who need help in order to improve school performance

17. Foreign & Minority Schools Foreign schools : – Operate 10 in Greece – Open to all nationalities Minority Schools: – For Muslim minority – For the Roma/ Gypsies

18. Evening Education There are evening school equivalents for all types of secondary education schools – 120 evening lower secondary schools (Gymnasio) – 43 evening upper secondary schools (Lykeion) Designed for working students –Aged 14-18 –Adults who had dropped out school In the 1950’s they were institutionalized to combat illiteracy (80% of population) Courses last one year longer