Commission supports Cyprus to address students’ disengagement and early school leaving

Today, as part of a technical support project that the Commission has with the Cypriot Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports, Cypriot policy-makers and stakeholders discussed an Action Plan to improve the engagement of students at risk of school dropout. The Action Plan will inform the Cypriot authorities on providing differentiable and equitable educational opportunities to the students struggling in school and to those who already dropped out. In the longer-term, it should contribute to reducing numbers of early school leavers in Cyprus.

The proposed measures include creating an engaging learning environment for those at risk,  psychological support for the wellbeing of students and reach out to their parents, an early warning system to identify students in danger of disengagement and drop out, as well as enhanced teacher training to support these measures. Alternative pathways such as second chance structure for the under-18 have also been discussed to re-engage those who already dropped out. All the proposed measures are interlinked and intended to build on one another. If implemented in combination, they have the potential to address student disengagement and dropout.

The European Commission has been providing support to Cyprus through the EU's Structural Reform Support Programme (SRSP) and implemented by the ICF led consortium. The Cyprus Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports worked together with a group of national stakeholders to identify solutions for retaining and engaging students at risk of school dropout. The project undertook a detailed analysis of the root causes for students disengaging and dropping out from secondary education and of the policies in place to address these causes in Cyprus. The policy recommendations are informed by discussions with experts from other EU/EEA countries (France, Sweden, Norway and Lithuania ), and draw on their experience with reforming their own education systems. Today’s working session will mark next steps in the fight against early school leaving in Cyprus  – with reflections on how to move from the Action Plan into effective implementation.

The Structural Reform Support Programme offers expertise to all EU countries for the design and implementation of growth-enhancing reforms. Since 2017, the programme has been supporting over 1000 reform projects in all 27 Member States. Since 2021, the Structural Reform Support Programme has become the Technical Support Instrument.