Abstract:

This article examines early school leaving as one of the serious problems affecting the development of young people and society as a whole. The main idea is to show that the problem has a complex character, both among children who never start school and among students who are chronically absent or drop out and often fail to recognize the importance of education. The lack of education, professional skills, and knowledge pushes these young people out of active social life and excludes them from it. At the same time, unemployment worsens the living conditions of individuals from vulnerable groups and reinforces the cycle of social exclusion. Early school leaving in Bulgaria has steadily decreased over the last decade, with state coverage policies producing measurable results. The article emphasizes the need to discuss problems in education, as well as the policies that are being implemented and their impact on young people. The analysis examines the causes of school dropout, which are defined as cultural, parental-family, educational, and personal-psychological ones. The learning conditions provided by schools are also of great importance for retaining students in the education system, including libraries, study-room activities, optional classes, specialized classrooms, computers, and other educational resources. It also explores the institutional support aimed at overcoming earlyschool leaving. It emphasizes the need for early prevention, intersectoral cooperation and sustainable policies to retain students in the education system The methodology of the article includes a theoretical analysis of statistical data, as well as a review of measures undertaken at different levels in the public and non-governmental sectors. A comprehensive approach is applied in tracking national indicators, along with an analysis of regulatory documents and good practices. Reports and studies by ministries and organizations from both the public and non-governmental sectors on the topic of school dropout are also used.

Acknowledgement:
The article has been developed in the framework of the research project “Quality of life and well-being in the context of professional communities and their activity” КП-06-ПН80/2, funded by National Science Fund.

Keywords:

Early school leaving, causes of dropout, prevention policies, retention measures in education.