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1. National strategy

2. Formal education: main policy measures on ELET

3. Addressing ELET through non-formal and informal learning and quality youth work

4. Cross-sector coordination and monitoring of ELET interventions

National strategy

There is no specific national strategy in Cyprus tackling ELET.

However, one of the Strategic Horizontal Pillars of the Cyprus Lifelong Learning Strategy 2021-2027 (CyLLLS) is devoted on “Inclusion and equality”. As it is stated in the Strategy, “everyone has the right to access quality and inclusive education, training, and lifelong learning. (…) Therefore, issues such as equal and inclusive attainment in early childhood education, provision of alternative pathways to dropouts, (…) pathways for re-entering education are of particular importance for the CyLLLS”. The CyLLLS has four key priorities and the second one aims to “Decrease youth unemployment and upskill/reskill youth and the workforce”. The “2.2 Goal: Establish targeted measures for people at risk” specifically mentions that “education and training need to be provided equally and fairly and this implies providing equalizing steppingstones and opportunities to people at risk. Access to information, availability of programmes, and existence of upskilling pathways are key elements in the lifelong learning sector. An analysis-based segmentation is required to identify certain target groups as well as their needs, leading to more targeted and effective efforts”. Each priority is supervised by specific Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and for the specific strategic priority 2, indicator 6 refers to the “Share of early leavers from education and training (age 18-24) and its target to be below 9%”.

The CyLLLS was funded by the European Union via the Technical Support Instrument, managed by the European Commission Directorate General for Structural Reform Support. It was approved by the Council of Ministers on September 30, 2022, and it is coordinated by the European and International Affairs, Lifelong Learning and Adult Education Bureau of the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth (MESY). The governance of the CyLLLS 2021-2027 is under the National and Technical Committees comprised by several bodies (for the composition of the Committees, please read the CyLLLs). In particular, the National Committee is responsible to monitor the implementation of the CyLLLS 2021-2027 and assess the effectiveness of its strategic measures. The Strategy targets all age groups of the Cypriot population.

Evaluation and indicators of the implementation of the specific measure on ELET are available in the following section.

Formal education: main policy measures on ELET

The most important initiative implemented at top-level for preventing early school leaving is the "Activities of School and Social Inclusion+ (DRA.S.E.+)". The project aims – among others – to support pupil population living below poverty line or at risk of poverty and social exclusion as well as to strengthen social cohesion, by limiting the risk of social marginalisation and exclusion. It also aims at improving students’ learning outcomes, reducing school failure and delinquency as well as decreasing early school leaving. Based on the  2023 Annual Report of the MESY for the school year 2022/2023, the project covered 31.38% of the pupil population for the respective school year, while during the school year 2023/2024, around 30 000 students participated, which corresponds to approximately 27% of the student population. It is being implemented in all levels of education, from pre-primary and primary to lower and upper-secondary education as well as technical and vocational education and training schools (208 schools in total during 2022/2023 and 178 during 2023/2024). The project is 60 % funded by the European Social Fund and has been in force from 2021 until 2027. It serves as a continuation of the previous initiative, “Early School Leaving, School Failure and Delinquency in Zones of Educational Priority”.

In the DRA.S.E.+ project, the following free-of-charge programme actions are being implemented, as they were reported in the Ministry’s 2023 Annual Report:

• Morning and afternoon classes and programmes to reinforce learning and creativity of pupils and their families.

• Greek language courses for immigrant pupils and families.

• Psychosocial support and intercultural mediation to pupils and/or their parents/guardians by counseling and clinical psychologists (e.g., personal support, wellbeing workshops).

• Additional psychosocial support (through the establishment and operation of “Information and Social-Emotional Support Centres”

• Supply of technological school equipment and educational tools/materials to schools.

• Alternative education programmes for the participating schools to enrich the experiences of the pupils.

• Funding pupils’ activities through the programme of the Committee on Health and Citizenship Education that aims at promoting the physical, mental, and social wellbeing of pupils, enhancing their social skills and critical thinking, upgrading their social and natural environment.

• Continuous training and professional development programmes for the involved teachers.

Based on the ongoing monitoring of the indicators of the DRA.S.E. programme, the programme has already met its objective, which was to support 15% of the total pupil population in Cyprus. The programme will be monitored annually until its expected completion by the end of 2027.

Another programme stated in the 2023 Annual Report of the MESY is the Preventive Preparatory Apprenticeship (PA) Intervention Programme. It is an action dealing with early school dropouts and the marginalisation of the 14–16-year-old pupils. The main objective of the programme is to provide a safe reintegration of Preparatory Apprentice teenagers into the school environment through support of themselves and their families, with the ultimate goal of providing a safety net against various social risks and marginalisation. The PA provides a safe and supportive framework to upgrade the basic learning and soft skills of the learners, strengthens the goal-setting mechanism, and supports them to believe in themselves and their skills, as well as improves their self-esteem by choosing and implementing correct and healthy choices in their life. PA’s target groups are a) Pupils of the Preparatory Apprenticeship, b) Family members of the pupils, c) Teachers of the Preparatory Apprenticeship, and d) Special social scientists of the Preparatory Apprenticeship. The programme provides training of instructors and specialists, organisation of afternoon/summer activities for the learners, organisation of creativity workshops, sport and educational activities for the learners as well as psychosocial support and coverage of basic material needs of the learners and their families. Responsible for the implementation of the Programme is the National Addictions Authority Cyprus, which after an open tender process assigned the Programme to the Association for the Prevention and Handling of Violence in the Family. The project was implemented during the year 2022/2023 and was entirely financed by the Cyprus Ministry of Education, Sport, and Youth.

In addition, the upgraded educational policy related to Multicultural Education supports both the inclusion of all youngsters and contributes, in the long-term, to the prevention of early school leaving. The policy aims particularly at the smooth integration of pupils with migrant background into the Cypriot educational system, through a variety of actions, such as intensive teaching of the Greek Language in secondary education public schools, teachers’ training, etc. For more information, please read the section 6.6.

As for ELVET-specific measures, there is not a specific strategy, but the most important measures that are in progress are:

• The  Apprenticeship System of Vocational Education and Training [Σύστημα Μαθητείας Επαγγελματικής Εκπαίδευσης και Κατάρτισης (ΣΜΕΕΚ)] provides an alternative pathway for education, training and development for young people who drop out from the formal education system and is geared towards meeting the needs of the labour market. It embraces young people between 14 to 18 years of age at two apprenticeship levels (preparatory and core). Participation is not compulsory and is free of charge. For more information, you can also refer to the 2023 Annual Report (pp. 14-15).

• "Entrepreneurship in the Preparatory Apprenticeship” is a programme run in collaboration with the non-profit organisation Junior Achievement Cyprus. The programme is tailored to the interests of students aged 14 to 17 who leave compulsory education prematurely. The aim is to develop skills that could enhance their employability while also boosting their self-esteem and self-confidence. As part of the programme's implementation, a two-day visit is organised, during which business sector volunteers-mentors visit the Preparatory Apprenticeship schools. During this visit, students have the opportunity to receive information about the importance of setting their education and career goals based on their skills and interests. Students also participate in practical activities and experiential processes, improving their knowledge and skills.

• The Evening Schools of Technical and Vocational Education (Εσπερινά Σχολεία) have been established to promote participation in secondary technical and vocational education and support the integration of school dropouts in the workplace and society, in general. They target any person above 18 years-old who, for any reason, has dropout school.  

Addressing ELET through non-formal and informal learning and quality youth work

There is no policy, programme, project and initiative – either directly organised or funded – by top level authorities aiming at preventing and reducing ELET through non-formal and informal learning.

However, the first 3-year Action Plan for the implementation of the National Youth Strategy 2017-2022 states that non-formal educational activities, workshops, seminars and classes (such as theatre, sports and arts) are offered to children and teenagers of migrant background in the Reception and Accommodation Centers for Applicants of International Protection so as to support their social skills and educational background. Based on the evaluation of the first Action Plan 2017-2019 of the National Youth Strategy (NYS), the indicator of this action was met (at least 113 participants in the educational activities).

Cross-sector coordination and monitoring of ELET interventions

In the Cyprus Lifelong Learning Strategy 2021-2027 (CyLLLS), that was presented under section 6.3 – National strategy, the Strategic priority 2 is devoted to “Decrease youth unemployment and upskill/reskill youth and the workforce”. The “2.2 Goal: Establish targeted measures for people at risk” and the “2.3 Goal: Re-skilling youth and the workforce” explicitly mention that learning opportunities and working experience should be provided to people at risk. In addition, under strategic priority 2, there is a specific indicator (No.8) which refers to the “Young people neither in employment nor in education and training by sex, age, and labour status (NEET rates) [15-34] and its respective target to be below 10%”. As CyLLS is an ongoing national strategy, a specific action plan has been developed especially for addressing the indicators of Strategic Priority 2, where cross-sector coordination among various stakeholders is defined, together with monitoring and evaluation procedures.

According to the 2023 Annual Report of the MESY, the Committee of Health Education and Citizenship coordinates the MESY policy related to Health Education and Citizenship, both at the level of the Ministry and the school units at all educational levels. The Report states that the Committee constitutes the connecting link between the Ministry of Health and other bodies (Ministries, Non-Governmental Organisations, Police, Cyprus National Addictions Authority and so on), which deal with actions that fall under Health Education and Citizenship issues. In addition, the Committee implements the Policy and Actions included in the National Addiction Strategy 2021-2028 (Εθνική Στρατηγική για την Αντιμετώπιση της Εξάρτησης 2021-2028). A detailed Action Plan for the period 2021-2024 (Σχέδιο Δράσης 2021-2024) was developed by the Cyprus National Addictions Authority under which the general goal no4 “Supporting vulnerable groups of the population” targets – among others – early school leavers. The goal no4 defines the multi-agency partnerships for each one of its main actions as well as the deliverables/indicators for their successful implementation. 

Official monitoring reports and evaluations undertaken to assess the effectiveness of the measures implemented and the level of cooperation between stakeholders, have not be published by the MESY. However, the Cyprus National Addictions Authority releases an annual report (Ετήσιες Εκθέσεις) each year, explicitly highlighting the cooperation among the involved authorities in the actions and programs being implemented. 

In an attempt to safeguard young people’s continuous participation in education and training, the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance also launched between 2014-2017 the National Action Plan for Youth Employment which implements the Youth Guarantee Recommendation in Cyprus. It endorses a wide range of actions that aim to reinforce youth employment and activate young people (especially NEETs) as regards available employment schemes, encourage them to register at the Public Employment Service and provide substantial help in job search, education or training opportunities. Development, monitoring and evaluation is overseen by a cross-sectoral Working Group which was established for the preparation of the National Action Plan for Youth Employment. This working group includes representatives from all implementing bodies, social partners, and youth organisations.

Between 2023-2029, training programmes for young people not in employment, education, or training (NEETs) will be offered on a national level by the Human Resource Development Authority of Cyprus (Αρχή Ανάπτυξης Ανθρώπινου Δυναμικού Κύπρου). The programmes are funded under the European Social Fund plus (ESF+) [Programme Priority “Supporting Youth Employment”, Specific Objective “Promoting the Employment of the Unemployed”], focusing on the acquisition of basic knowledge and skills, such as literacy, mathematical skills, digital and technological skills, interpersonal skills, entrepreneurship. Their aim is to help NEETs integrate into the labour market and upgrade their existing knowledge and skills.