9-year-old schools start the year with 125 thousand children less than a decade ago

2024-09-09 09:45:40, Aktualitet CNA

9-year-old schools start the year with 125 thousand children less than a decade

"Kosova" school, photo taken from Google

According to official data, the rate of dropout of students in schools is accelerating from year to year.

In the 2024-2025 school year, about 238 thousand children will attend education in the 9-year public system according to data from the Ministry of Education.

According to INSTAT, at this level of education, in the 2023-2024 school year, 258,000 students were enrolled in 9-year education. Based on these data, the number of students in 9-year schools in this new school year is 7.8% less than last year, or 20 thousand students less.

The rates of decline of students in 9-year education are much higher than last year, when the decline was 3.4%.

From 2014 to 2024, the number of children in the 9-year cycle has decreased by 34.5%, or 125 thousand less.
In the coming years, the decline in students will be higher as a result of the sharp decline in births and still high rates of immigration among young people.

Source: INSTAT, Ministry of Education

According to data from Cens 2023, this year no more than 24,000 children enter the first grade in the whole country.

As a result of the drop in students, a large number of schools are closing year after year. From the 2012-2013 school year, to the 2021-2022 school year, 295 9-year education schools have been closed across the country, bringing their total number to 1,051 from 1,346 in 2013.

The closure of schools has come in direct proportion to the decrease in the number of students, since from 2011 to 2023, INSTAT refers that the number of students in 9-year education has decreased by about 30%. Rural areas take the lead in closing schools, as the number of children has decreased significantly.

Source: INSTAT, Ministry of Education

Since 2000, 42% of 8-9 year old schools in the country have been closed. Full-time first through ninth grade basic education is compulsory for all children who are between the ages of 6 and 16, except as otherwise provided by law.

The number of young people in the country is decreasing rapidly. When the 2011 Census was conducted, 268,756 young people in the 15-19 age group were counted across the country, but in the 2023 Census, their number was halved to only 142,943 people, a 47% decrease.

This age group had the largest decline in the period between Censuses in both numbers and percentages. The general population decreased by 14.8%, while in young age groups, this ratio was more than twice as high./ Monitor.al