Supporting educational establishments with high risk of drop-outs

The objective of this investment is to reduce early school leaving by deploying the Early Warning Mechanism in Education (MATE) nationwide and financing non-competitive grants for schools at high risk of dropout. This investment includes the pre-identification of eligible schools using the MATE methodology and its IT module integrated into SIIIR; a decentralized, school-led design of three-year action plans; and an enhanced resource-allocation mechanism that provides additional resources for schools serving predominantly disadvantaged or minority communities (e.g., Roma students, pupils with disabilities/SEN, children with parents working abroad).

Grants will finance pedagogical and student-support measures (remedial classes, guidance and counselling, tutoring, socio-emotional skills), extracurricular and sports activities, minor works and educational equipment, partnerships with NGOs, and student subsidies to support the transition from lower- to upper-secondary education. 

The scheme embeds anti-segregation safeguards aligned with Ministerial Orders 6134/2016 and 5633/2019 and complements national digitalisation efforts by enabling up to two “clever classroom” packages per school (estimated ≤ EUR 20,000 per class; ~2,500 grants × 2 packages; indicative envelope up to EUR 100 million).

It is expected that implementation follows a two-round calendar (≈30% of schools entering in 2022 and ≈70% in 2023), with interventions structured around five pillars: multidisciplinary approach, collaboration, prevention, tiered interventions by severity, and teacher training. Implementation is ongoing under the National Programme to reduce early school leaving, building on the DG REFORM-financed pilot; grant contracts run for up to three years per school.

More information can be found on the project webpage here and on social media here.