In the document, which shows an audit of school dropouts, the TdC recognises the advances in combating this problem, recalling that between 1992 and 2019 the rate of early school dropout went from 50 percent to 10.6 percent, approaching the European target of 10 percent.

However, it points out problems in terms of data collection on the phenomenon and its monitoring, which affect the reliability of information on school dropouts and, consequently, the effectiveness of any measures to combat it.

One of the problems pointed out in the audit is, of course, related to the definition of the concept of “early school leaving”, which, if not consolidated, allows for several interpretations.

“The lack of an unambiguous definition of dropout and risk of dropout, applicable throughout the education system, makes it difficult for schools to register and report on the classification of students' different situations and compromises the reliability of data, making it impossible to calculate correctly,” reads the document.

This data reliability is, on the other hand, weakened by the fact that the registration and attendance control mechanisms are flawed.

According to the audit, the way in which enrolment control, in particular, is set up, allows situations of children who have never entered the education system, because there is no cross-checking of data between different entities, or of students who are not already attending school, they remain active in the information systems of the Ministry of Education.

In addition to these areas, it is added that there is no mapping at the central level, which integrates all regions and which allows the provision of timely information, since in the case of private schools there is a lag of about six months.