High dropout rate

A shock report released yesterday, coinciding with the first day of the new school term, said that 45 per cent of secondary modern students in the Balearics drop out before they finish their education. This is 15 points higher than the national average. The report was compiled by the Balearic University and the Economic Research Centre of the savings bank Sa Nostra. The main reason, the report says, is that the students join the labour market, where the biggest employer, the service sector (tourism) has a huge demand for staff without prior training. And it is boys who have the biggest drop out rate, 55.1 per cent compared to 34.2 per cent national average. The report says only 33 per cent of Balearic students obtain a university degree or higher education qualification, 10 points below the national average.