The current situation of early school leaving in Greece

1 | (actualisé le ) par Chara Mitrogogou

According to some recent data it seems that approximately 30,000 students drop out of school in Greece each year. The majority are junior high school students who never go on to finish high school. In the two largest cities, Athens and Thessaloniki, the high school drop out rates are 4.85% and 4.25% respectively. In the Dodecanese islands and some parts of Macedonia and Thrace the rates are over 8%.
While these school drop out rates may not seem particularly high in comparison to the ones in other advanced countries around the world, they are quite high for Greece as Greek parents have high educational goals for their children.
Personal issues, family influences, rural areas and isolated islands, school environment, increasing school failure, social background, economic conditions are the main factors leading to students’ disengagement from school.
Negative self-image and low self-esteem, lack of self-confidence, general indifference, lack of interest in the lessons, lack of motivation, low marks, low performance and achievement, signs of frustration, alienation, aggressive behavior ang general pressure are the main characteristics of a pupil at risk of school dropout.
The results are marginalization, isolation, gradual rejection and mainly deprivation of equal chances and professional development in the job market.