School Participation in Upper Secondary School
A challenge for the current policies in Romania
Highlights
This study continues and complements a recent study conducted by UNICEF and the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), together with the Ministry of National Education – Directorate for Pre-university Education and Lifelong Learning, the National Institute of Statistics and the National Authority for Protection of Child Rights and Adoption, as part of the UNICEF and UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) global initiative on out of school children (OOSC).
While the 2012 study focused on the participation in education of primary and lower secondary age children (7-14 years old), the current study reviews the situation of children of upper secondary age (15-18 years old), in order to have a more complete picture of this phenomenon, covering the entire primary and secondary education levels.
On the basis of relevant statistical data collected yearly by the National Institute of Statistics, the current research aims to provide a clear picture of the status quo on education participation of children and youth in this age group and a better understanding of the situation of out of school children. As a result, the study assessed the extent of the out of school phenomenon in the case of upper secondary age children and youth, exploring their characteristics, and identifying barriers and challenges to school participation in upper secondary education.
Hence, starting from the current research report data, we will be able to better detail the profile of children of upper secondary age who are out of school or at high risk of being out of school. This allows us to move forward in the complex process of identifying and eliminating the multiple forms of exclusion these children are faced with, through more effective and targeted education policies and interventions.
