CULT

The Dropout Dilemma: With formal education being the fuel of proactive citizenship, it is concerning that over 10% of the European youth leave education early. Bearing in mind the notable educational disparities across socio-economic groups as well as the special education needs of diverse learners, what strategies should the EU prioritise in reforming its education…

Motion for a Resolution by the Committee on Culture and Education (CULT)

The Dropout Dilemma: With formal education being the fuel of proactive citizenship, it is concerning that over 10% of the European youth leave education early. Bearing in mind the notable educational disparities across socio-economic groups as well as the special education needs of diverse learners, what strategies should the EU prioritise in reforming its education systems to reduce early school leaving rates?

Submitted by: Aadhya Agarwal, Araks van Drooge, Isabel Peralta Schutte, Madelief van Poelvoorde (NL, Chairperson),

The European Youth Parliament aims to reduce the number of young Europeans leaving education early because of its financial inaccessibility, therefore tackling the disparities in education levels between households of different socio-economic groups. It further aims to make education more accessible and inclusive for special needs students,

because

  • 10% of European youth leave education early, resulting in reduced employment opportunities, social inequality and lower earning potentials,
  • Socio-economic background plays a major role in students finishing their degree in time, with or without debt, their opportunities on the job market and overall mental health,
  • Financial difficulties are one of the leading causes of EU wide university dropouts,
  • Rising tuition costs are putting a financial strain on lower-income students,
  • Accessible education for students with special needs is currently not the norm, making it harder for those students to get a degree,
  • High-income students have a higher chance of getting accepted to prestigious schools or schools with better resources due to higher tuition and living costs.

by

  1. Requests the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture (DG EAC) to investigate the monetary profits that public universities gain from tuition fees;
  2. Urges the European Commission to set up a tuition support fund specifically targeting European youth aged 18-24 from low socio-economic background attending formal education;
  3. Suggests Member States to include information about the future consequences of student loans into high school curricula;
  4. Invites Member States to eliminate interest rates on student loans, as opposed to the example of the Netherlands which raised the interest rates from 0.46% in 2023 to 2.56% in 2024;
  5. Asks Member States to create governmental grants to cover the cost of living associated with attending higher education;
  6. Calls upon Member States to invest in setting up higher education institutions specifically focussed on special needs students;
  7. Encourages Member States to make special needs teaching more attractive for instructors by offering higher salaries for this area of expertise;
  8. Invites privately funded educational institutions to set up additional scholarships to support ambitious lower-income students.