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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

North Macedonia does not yet have a single, stand-alone national strategy dedicated exclusively to preventing early leaving from education and training (ELET). Instead, measures addressing ELET are mainstreamed across sectoral strategies and action plans (education, VET, youth, social inclusion and employment), most notably the National Youth Strategy 2023–2027 and recent adult-learning policy instruments. This cross-sectoral approach broadens the policy toolkit but increases the need for clearer institutional responsibility, common targets on ELET and routine monitoring to ensure that measures reach the most vulnerable groups. 

Formal education: main policy measures on ELET

Official statistics and European datasets show a marked long-term decline in early school leaving in North Macedonia: after double-digit rates in the 2000s, the country reached about 5.7% in 2020 and 4.6% in 2021 (Eurostat definitions), placing it below the EU average in recent years. While more recent annual microdata are published intermittently, official and international analyses to 2024–2025 indicate the lower level has broadly been sustained. These gains are widely attributed to the extension of compulsory secondary education and to targeted inclusion measures, but they coexist with persistent local and group-level vulnerabilities, particularly among Roma communities, rural youth, and young people from low-income households.

Key recent legal and policy changes (2023–2025) that affect ELET include: the amendments to the Law on Secondary Education adopted by Parliament in April 2025, which strengthen inclusion measures and extend institutional supports (for example expanding the role of educational mediators and support staff into secondary education); and the adoption of a new Adult Education legal and strategic framework (Law on Adult Education adopted end-2024 and the Adult Education Strategy 2025–2030), which creates stronger second-chance pathways for those who left school early. These instruments expand the options for returning to learning, improve the visibility and recognition of non-formal and informal learning, and allow for modular re-entry routes better aligned with labour market needs. Alongside this, the Youth Guarantee programme, coordinated by the Employment Service Agency, has provided short-term training, internships, and counselling to thousands of young people since its rollout, representing a key link between education re-engagement and employment activation.

Long-standing affirmative measures remain central to preventing and reducing ELET among disadvantaged groups: scholarships, mentoring and tutoring for Roma pupils, preferential enrolment criteria, free textbooks, transport and dormitory support, and targeted conditional cash or social supports. Evidence from both national evaluations and donor-supported projects indicates that these measures improve access and continuation for many pupils, though their effectiveness depends on consistent resourcing, sustained local implementation, and cooperation between schools, municipalities, and social protection services. However, gaps in local-level monitoring and early-warning mechanisms still limit the capacity to intervene before pupils leave the system, making the sustainability of recent gains dependent on stronger coordination and data-sharing across institutions.

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

In North Macedonia, non-formal education, youth work, and targeted activation programmes are increasingly recognised as essential tools for re-engaging early leavers from education and training. Since 2023, special emphasis has been placed on vocational education and training (VET) and work-based learning pathways, including apprenticeships, internships, and short modular upskilling programmes, as alternative routes back into education and entry points into the labour market. The adoption of the Adult Education Strategy 2023–2030 and the accompanying legal framework for adult learning have further strengthened opportunities for “second-chance” education by introducing quality assurance mechanisms and supporting the validation of prior non-formal and informal learning. Youth Guarantee measures, coordinated by the Employment Service Agency (ESA), also provide tailored counselling, training, and short-term activation schemes aimed at integrating NEET youth into employment or further education.

Civil society organisations and international partners play a key role in bridging the gap for vulnerable groups. For instance, projects implemented with EU and UNICEF support have focused on Roma inclusion, rural youth access to education, and community-based outreach that brings mentors and youth workers closer to at-risk young people. The National Youth Strategy 2023–2027 also recognises youth work as a mechanism for preventing school dropouts, and several municipalities (e.g. Šuto Orizari, Tetovo, Kumanovo) have piloted local youth centres where non-formal education and career guidance complement formal schooling. Despite these efforts, coverage across the country remains uneven, and preventive measures are still not sufficiently embedded within school practices, leaving many municipalities without sustainable mechanisms for early identification and intervention.

Cross-sector coordination and monitoring of ELET interventions

Good practice and many strategic documents in North Macedonia emphasise the need for cross-sector cooperation between education, social protection, employment, local government, and civil society in tackling early school leaving. However, significant gaps remain in local-level monitoring and follow-up: while schools record which pupils leave, municipalities rarely compile or systematically track post-school outcomes. This results in limited disaggregated data on where early leavers go—whether into employment, informal care, family duties, migration, or long-term inactivity. Current monitoring practices therefore fail to capture the full scale and dynamics of the challenge. Strengthening administrative data flows, both vertically (between schools, municipalities, and national institutions) and horizontally (across ministries), is a key priority. In line with UNESCO’s monitoring framework, the establishment of early-warning systems within schools and local communities, as well as formalised data-sharing agreements across sectors, would enable timely identification of at-risk learners and more effective intervention. Developing and applying common Early Leaving from Education and Training (ELET) indicators across ministries would further ensure consistency in measurement, allow for better targeting of resources, and provide a clearer assessment of the long-term impact of policies designed to improve youth participation in education and training.