New data from the Productivity Commission shows almost 24 per cent of Victorian public school students in Years 10, 11 and 12 left school early last year, up from 21.8 per cent in 2021.
Workforce shortages, cost-of-living pressures and the extended COVID-19 lockdowns that saw many Victorian school students disengage from learning are all contributing factors, according to school leaders and education experts.
But with a reformed VCE program that shifts focus to vocational learning, it’s hoped that more Victorian students will make the decision to complete their secondary school education and finish year 12.
The groundbreaking program launched to senior secondary students earlier this year and replaced the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL).
In a Channel 9 news report, Strathmore Secondary College teacher Kate Hutchison said the program was working well at the college, and had helped improve greater student retention.
“The carry-on from COVID, we are still seeing students who haven’t engaged in school for a couple of years,” Hutchison said. “This is a program where they can see why they are studying.”
But as the figures from the Productivity Commission highlight, the issue of early school leavers is something that is a bigger issue in public schools.
With almost one quarter of Victorian public high school students in years 10, 11 and 12 leaving school early in 2022, the comparison statistic of early school leavers in Victorian independent schools was just 10 per cent.
Adam Voigt is chief executive with Real Schools, an organisation that aims to build partnerships and experiences to help schools achieve its potential in three key areas: committed teachers, caring students and connected communities. He described the figures as “alarming”.
“The bit in this data we should be most concerned about is: who are the young people who are not going into further learning? Where are they?” Voigt said.
Legal requirements of when children can leave Australian schools varies across states and territories.
In Victoria, children must attend a school campus or approved alternative until they finish Year 10. Until they turn 17, they must take part in education, training or employment for a minimum of 25 hours a week.
“In our education system, we need room for young people for whom Year 12 isn’t the be-all and end-all,” Voigt said to Channel 9. “But we also know that for young people that don’t finish Year 12, there’s often a cap on their potential earnings in the future.”
Mr Voigt’s concerns are supported by research from the Australian Institute of Family Studies, which show early school leavers are at greater risk of long-term unemployment – something that places them at a much higher risk for social exclusion, welfare dependence and mental health problems.
Family-related risk factors for early school leaving include socio-economic status, residential mobility, parental education, parental separation, family structure and parenting practices.
But for many adolescents, finding pathways beyond mainstream schooling can be positive and with practical courses offering entry to apprenticeships, employment and other educational opportunities, many educators believe it’s time to give more support to students who are at risk of falling through the cracks – before it’s too late.
