PROJECT TOPIC
The effect of early school leaving on young people between the ages of 15 or more both physically, mentally, emotionally, economically and socially.
DEFINITION
For a better understanding of the topic of discourse, a clear definition of what early school leaving means is pertinent. Though there is no clear cut definition, the consideration of definitions of the term by the European Union, EU, in relation to the definitions by other countries like USA, Canada will enhance the understanding of the topic. The USA, Canada and the OECD define early school leaving in similar ways, and all differ from the EU definition. In the USA, early school leavers, "drop outs", are those who have not graduated from High School. This focus has a number of benefits. The single benchmark, attainment of a High School Diploma, covers the whole of the US education system and provides a clear idea of what the outcome of compensatory policy would be: get young people re-enrolled and graduated if and when they drop out. Policy in the US is based on clarity of definition and measurement of the problem.
RATIONALE: The importance of this topic can never be overemphasized because it is dealing on a topic that has been a recurrence decimal in the society and has had dire effects on the society. This topic is important to explore because it explains the reasons why young people leave school early without completing their leaving certificate and also explains the different problems and difficulties which early school leavers may face in future both physically, emotionally, mentally, socially and economically. However, it also offers practical advice on how to work and give support to young people at risk of leaving school early.
COMMUNITY CONTEXT: Galway city is the community under investigation, geographically, the city was found on the west coast of Ireland between Corrib and Galway bay. The city has a modern digital network which serves different transport networks such as road, railway and sea surrounded by county Galway. The city is the third largest city within the state after (Dublin and Cork) Though if the whole urban area is included it will fall into fourth place behind limerick. However, according to census report carried out by Galway independent in 2011, it was estimated that the city's population was 5,529 and when compare to to that of 2006 which was 4,588.252, it could be obvious that the population of Galway is increasing ( www.galwayindepend.ie[->0]). Furthermore, the city population will hit 100, 000 in 2020. Galway city is the third largest in republic of Ireland and the fifth on the Island of Ireland. However, the population of the wider urban area is the fourth largest in republic of Ireland. Approximately 78% of the population of Galway is white irish descended from native gealic people and settlers, However, it is estimated that 5% of foreign born nationals arrived in Galway during the 2005. Approximately 78% of the city's population is non-irish. Almost half of these groups are white europeans, such as Poland and other central Europeans and batik States ,such as ,Latvia, Lithuania, and small number of Asian and Africa Immigrants that came from Africa, such as Nigeria, Zimbabwe and sri-lanka. 15.4% of the population were between the ages of 0 to 14 and 8.5% were aged 15 to 64, 8.5% were over 65.9% of the population were female while 48.1% were male. The important points noted about this community is their cultural events which made it to become one of the city's major tourist centre, such as sports, music, Galway arts festival, the Galway races, Galway international oyster, fleadh imboilg ,The baboro international, Children's festival, Galway early music, Salthhil air show, Little Havana festival, Galway garden festival, Galway comedy, Baffle poetry, Galway aboo, halloween, Tulca festival of visual arts, Galway science and technology festival, Spirit of voice festival ,Galway Christmas market, Galway film fleadh, African festival ,Galway pride festival and Volvo ocean race (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galway).
CURRENT SITUATION: The appropriate government agency need to take more action on educational policy that will strongly discourages or separate young people along purely academic lines, at least in the first and second years. The policy should be targeted particularly at schools in disadvantaged communities, such as school where boys enrolled and where there are students with low literacy levels or special educational needs, such as travelers and students from lower socio-economic back grounds.
However, it is believed that such groups are more likely to leave school early without completing their leaving certificate exam. According to Eames of National university of Galway, Galway city partnership has been involved in the development of the Galway Education action plan, the aim of this process is to planning and action which will ensure that all young people are given the opportunity to realize their future talent through access and full participation in a second level school in Galway city (www.fidelmahealyeams.ie[->1]). The Department of education, National education welfare board, Galway city partnership, school completion programmes, city of Galway VecFas. Galway city partnership and second level school in Galway city are the agencies involved in this process. This action planning has targeted DEIS and non- DEIS schools in Galway city to develop Galway education action plan and organized a workshop for school teachers and principals on the topic of special needs and also obtained the agreement of all the secondary schools have agreed on a protocol around the area of transfer from primary to second-level school in Galway city in 2011.Following a local action plans/projects. Galway city partnership supported learning mentor programme with Galway East school completion programme ,disability access route to education in association with Galway community college, west side school completion program, training for volunteers/youth workers in association with the city of Galway Vec and local research in relation to track down early school leaving in Galway city in 2011.
SWOT OF ACTION PLANS
Strenght- The action plan exists, in spite of the fact that the gains from energy efficiency tend to be low cost relative to the cost of expanding supply policy attention in the form of time, study, investment, personnel and organization resources favours supply expansion rather than demand.
Weaknesses- Student with low literacy level or special educational need and school where boys enrolled are more likely to leave school early without completing their living certificate examination. It is argued that the department of education and skills needs to take more action on the policy that will strongly discourages young people.
Threat- There is risk of long-term socio-economic, early school leaving can also lead to an increased chance of teenage pregnancy, criminal activities and psychological issues such as, depression and anxiety.
Opportunity- The introduction of free educational system helps to improve the percentage of young people completing their leaving cert exams.
DEMOGRAPHICS
According to school leavers survey report carried by Galway independent in 2008 Approximately 14% of young people left school without completing their leaving certificate, meanwhile this figure is improving each year, the level of progress is slow. However, the number of young people that stay on to complete their junior certificate is improving considerably compare with 2% of young people leaving school before doing their junior certificate. Though, this demographic figure when compared to other countries like the US, brings a beacon of hope. In the US early school leaver numbers have proved hard to shift. At least 30% of young people do not graduate from High School on time in the USA; for black males, around 40% fail to graduate.
Changing Patterns Of Early School Leaving

The legacy of Early School Leaving within Ireland has been significant. While there has been a growing decrease in the numbers of young people leaving school early, figures from the Central Statistics Office in 2008, showed that 14% of the total Irish population aged between 15 and 64 had an educational attainment level of ‘primary or below’ thus pointing to a significant prevalence of low educational achievement within the population at large. In addition, literacy levels in Ireland are alarmingly high with 1 in 4 having difficulties in reading and writing. This is largely due to a legacy of early school leaving in the past and people ‘being out of practice’ due to various life circumstances. Throughout Ireland, school retention rates vary considerably. For example, in 1999 County Leitrim had the highest Leaving Certificate retention rate of 91.2%, while Dublin City had the lowest retention rates at 72.1%. The considerable variation in retention rates across Ireland highlights the fact that early school leaving requires localised and community-based interventions as well as interventions on a national level. ABSENCE OF COUNSELLING SERVICES IN SCHOOL
POOR ACHIEVEMENT- In school leading to lack of motivation, However, Travelers: many young people from traveler community leave school early without completing their junior school certificate. Meanwhile, there is strong relationship between teenage pregnancy and early school leaving specially young mother's there are few young mother's that believe to have their upper secondary qualifications. The project idea is to identify the problems why young und one quarter of 20 year old males were high school drop outs.
PROJECT IDEA: The project idea is to explore the reasons why young people leave school early without completing the junior certificate examination and also to explain the different problems and difficuties which early school leavers may have in future both physically, emotionally, mentally, socially and economically. Early school leaving is refer to anyone who leave school early without completing senior cycle in post-primary school, to group it into four categories.(A) Early school leaves are those who do not complete their primary school education.(B) Those who do not transfer to a post primary school after completed their primary school.(C) Those who leave without taking the junior certificate examination after attended junior cycle courses in a post-primary schools.(D) Those who leave full-time formal education after taking the junior certificate examination, However, there are so many reasons why young people leave school early such as.

CAUSES OF EARLY SCHOOL LEAVING
PERSONAL: Low self-esteem, which may be a situation where school policy in dealing with low levels of literacy are not effective.
SUBSTANCE MISUSE/ABUSE - Always staying away from school without taking permission may course lower levels of motivation.
UNDIAGNOSED LEARNING DIFFICULTIES: Which may not be supported effectively lack of motivation which may be due to lack understanding of education in the future.
SOCIAL: Life style- includes substance abuse or misuse, anti-social behavior and negative sleeping patterns.
POVERTY- There are higher levels of early school leaving in areas of lower socio-economic standing-due to high participation cost young people may choose to be out of school.
FAMILY- Parental attitudes toward education such as home clash and school cultures,
FAMILY CONFLICT OR CHANG: - Such as death or separation.
HIGH SCHOOL PARTICIPATION COSTS
FAMILY POVERTY- In order to help and support their family a young person may choose to be out of education.
ECONOMIC- Celtic tiger and it's legacy there is more pressure to achieve wealth within wealth society. This may lead to increased pressure on young people who may have left school as a result, also the draw of apprenticeship during the 'boom years' encouraged young people to leave school early.
SCHOOL: Low levels of literacy and numeracy leading to poor performance and decrease in self esteem or behavioural problems.
AGE DIFFERENCES: When the student is older/younger than their classmates.
ENGLISH - Being a foreign language.
NEGATIVE- Relationship with teachers leading to increased bad behaviour or suspension on a regular basis.
ABSENCE OF COUNSELLING SERVICES IN SCHOOL
POOR ACHIEVEMENT- In school leading to lack of motivation.
Travellers -Many young people from the Traveller community leave school early. In 2008, just 50% of Travellers completed their Junior Certificate xxiii with 13% continuing on into the senior cycle. The Visiting Teacher for Travellers Service that was dedicated to facilitating and supporting education for Travellers up to third level is no longer in existence.
Young mothers -There is a strong correlation between teenage pregnancy and early school leaving; this correlation is especially strong for young mothers. Teenage mothers have only a 49% probability of having their upper secondary qualifications. xxiv However, in the relationship between early school leaving and teenage pregnancy it is difficult to outline where the cause and effect lie.
Young Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Undocumented Migrants-
A number of asylum seekers and refugees will have missed out on schooling in their home countries due to war, conflict and displacement. In Ireland those under 18 will be given places in Irish schools. However, due to a probable disruption in their schooling, possible difficulty with English language and high stress levels, their ability to settle, concentrate and achieve good results can be compromised and may lead to difficulties completing their Leaving Certificate. While refugees can avail of all courses similar to any Irish citizen, both asylum seekers and undocumented migrants who reach the age of 18 have difficulty accessing further (3rd level) education as they are no longer entitled to free state education after this age. (Some schools make exceptions and accept over 18’s.) Post Leaving Cert courses are unavailable to these young people unless they pay international fees to attend a course. This can be a de-motivating factor for these young people that can lead to early school leaving. Nevertheless, asylum seekers, undocumented migrants and refugees are usually very keen to learn and catch up on their education and many excel. For others who are struggling, short term courses, computer based courses and single subject courses are often the best means of achieving success and building confidence.
DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT RESPONSE- There has been a noticeable,positive change in the way in which early school leaving issues approached in many member states.Two out of five inteviewees (43%) for this study stated that there was a strong comitment to addressing the issue of early school leaving in their country,backed by appropriate policy funding and programmes.Only one out of five (20%) felt that the level of commitment and investment is weak.However,the reseach evidence from this study also shows that policy and programmes should be informed by learning from reseach and evaluations,'the latter being an area which currently seems weak',as well as analysis of the trends in data,reseach should take particular account of the student voice,as well as those of the other skate holders-involved.
PROJECT AIMS-Is to focus attention on educational disadvantage,to identify and facilitate the different educational needs of all students. To respond to different educational needs by planning and implementing appropriate courses of action. One of the best ways to assist early school leavers is to help prevent young people from leaving school early. Due to the schools duty of care and an increased focus on the holistic care of young people, schools are under increased pressure to address the range of social, psychological and personal issues affecting young people today. This is often done with very limited available resources. For example, many schools do not have a full-time Student Counsellor, Home School Liaison Officer or Educational Support Worker who can often help retain potential early school leavers within the formal education system. The percentage of irish people completing post- primary school has increased significantly since free post-primary education was introduced in 1968,and the minimum school leaving age was raised to 15 years in 1972.For example, in 1964 only 51.5% of 15 year olds were in full-time education. By 1981 the percentage had increased to 87,and has remained at over 95 for most of the 1990s.Over 80% of Irish student now sit the leaving certificate examination, in marked contrast to 1964,when approximately one third of pupils did not even transfer to post-primary school. However, a small percentage of young people still drop out of school every year, often before they reach the minimum school-leaving age. These young people are inadequately equipped to face many of the challenges of adult life.
OFFER A QUIET SPACE FOR HOMEWORK-Many libraries, community centres and youth services offer homework help or a quiet space for homework. The most effective of these services use qualified staff and volunteers who have experience in teaching and are familiar with the school curriculum. If there is no homework help in your local area, develop a community action group in order to work with other community agencies to develop a safe and quiet place for after-school study. Have a quiet space, computers and internet facilities available at your service for students completing assignments and homework. Many successful homework groups provide a snack at the start, a period for homework and a sport or art & crafts hour to add incentive for attendance. Young people with a low level of literacy may be nervous about attending your service because they may be conscious of exposing their lack of literacy skills. Therefore, when registration forms or other forms need to be filled out by a young person it would be good practice to provide a private place for them to do this and make it known to all participants that you can provide assistance in filling these forms out if necessary.
Make sure any information given in a written format to young people is also given verbally. Make use of the first few minutes of a group to give updates on any written information/new posters/groups available.
Check that young people can access your service without being able to read. For example, check that it is clear where your service is located if you are in a multi-purpose centre, or what time your service is open if you are away from the premises.
Try to avoid situations where young people feel stigmatised for not being able to read well, this includes reading/writing in group work, filling in surveys, taking notes at meetings.
STAKE HOLDER MAP- INTERNAL STAKE HOLDER, Parents,Teachers,Guidince Counsellors.
WIDER COMMUNITY STAKE HOLDER- Galway city partnership, Department of social welfare.
WIDER ENVIRONMENTAL STAKE HOLDER: Public/Media debate, Department of education and skills schools, National youth councils youth unemployment to national economic and social forum are the areas the holders can play a role. The visiting teachers for travellers service and home school liaison officers.
LITERATURE REVIEW- Early school leavers are recognised as students who leave school at a young age or students without a recognised qualification. According to combat poverty agency in September 2001 report called, submission on early school leavers and youth unemployment to national economic and social forum, early school leaving is referred to 'non participation in school before the age of 16 or before completion of three years post-primary education. According to boldt et al (1998), early school leaving believe to be a problem within the European Union, even though there has been an extensive growth in education throughout the European Union. However, the department of education and science commissioned the educational research to carry out a study on early school leavers, in November 1998, as part of the 8-15 year old early school leavers initiative. This research identified a significant increase in the percentage of Irish students who had completed post-primary schooling since free education at this level was introduced in 1968. According to 'educational research centre,2000'.In 1964, 51.5% of 15 year olds were in full time education, by 1981 this increased to 87% and throughout the 1990s this had remain at over 95%.(Investment in education. It has been reported that even though the decreasing percentage of young people still leave school each year before they achieve a recognised qualification. This creates clear economic-consequences both at individual and societal levels. In general early school leaving is found within disadvantaged areas both urban and rural. The social inclusion effects of early school leaving such as literacy problems, lack of social skills and difficult in accessing training or employment there is an increased possibility of long term unemployment and low-skilled employment for the individual. However, the European youth forum (YFT) is an organisation made up of 99 national youth councils and international youth non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) from many countries in Europe. The youth forum jeunesse works to help young people to try and improve their living conditions and to encourage them to participate actively in society youth forum jeunesse,2009,research by the youth forum jeunesse on 'early education leaving' states that the long-term cost of educational failure are very high both financially and socially when people are without necessary skills to help them participate socially and economically within their country, health, social welfare and security costs increase 'youth forum jenesse,2008'.However,the department of education and science is responsible for the administration of public education, primary, post-primary and special education, the mission of the Department is to provide high-quality education, which enable individuals to achieve their full skills and to participate fully as members of the society and contribute to Ireland's social cultural and economic development (Ireland Department of Education,2008).The Department has adopted a broad-based approach to tackle early school leaving in the region about 800 million Euros was spent in 2008 on tackling educational advantage at all levels, from pre-school to further and higher education. This represents an increase of nearly 70 million Euros on the comparable 2007 figures at all levels(Ireland, Department of Education,2008).Furthermore some of this programmes will be examined throughout this literature review, looking at the objectives and the extent to which they have been achieved and their effectiveness in prevention of early school leaving. The negative effects of early school leaving can be very disruptive to a young person’s development and it can lead to a deteriorated socio-economic standing in the future. The stage at which a young person decides to leave school is of utmost importance, the earlier a young person leaves, the more problematic this can be in their future. Those who fail to obtain five or more passes in their Junior Certificate will experience greater trouble in finding employment than those with a full Junior Certificate, mostly under the uncertainty in the global economy. In addition to this, many employers or training courses require completion of the Leaving Certificate at a minimum. Many researchers have carried out studies on this topic because of its prime place to the success of any society. They have also proffered many solutions to preventing or reducing to the barest minimum, this ugly trend but the policy implementers and makers fail to accord such novel and important findings its deserved place so as to alleviate the impact of this to the society.
POLICY SUBMISSION
This policy is to be submitted to the department of Education and Sciences. This departments are the agencies that will make the appropriate recommendations to the government who will make policies that will be aimed at improving the work done already in reducing the number of early school leavers.

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