Almost one in six boys in Flemish secondary education has considered leaving school without obtaining a diploma.
A large-scale survey of more than 18,000 secondary school pupils by the Flemish Pupils' Association (Scholierenkoepel) found that 5% considered dropping out when asked in January and February this year, with school stress and the prospect of earning money being among the main reasons.
A further 8% said they had considered doing so in the past.
The figures are particularly high among boys, with 16% having previously or at the time of the survey considered leaving without a diploma, compared with 10% of girls.
The findings reflect official figures showing that 12.2% of pupils left Flemish education without a qualification during the 2023-2024 school year, amounting to 8,939 young people. Though below the post-pandemic peak of 2021-2022, the figure remains high.
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Stress and prospect of earning money
No single explanation explains why pupils want to leave school.
Almost half of those surveyed cited school-related stress as a potential reason, while 42% pointed to the possibility of starting to work and earning money. Mental health difficulties, such as feeling unhappy or anxious, were mentioned by 32%.
"We know generally that motivation to go to school isn't particularly high among Flemish pupils," said Stefan Grielens, director of the free pupil guidance centres (CLBs) to Het Laatste Nieuws.
The problem is more prevalent among boys and is also reflected in poorer educational outcomes, he added.
Grielens argued that schools need to create an environment where pupils feel that they belong, with attention paid to choosing the right course, wellbeing, structure and giving young people opportunities to experience success.
Leaving education early can have lasting consequences. According to Flemish employment service VDAB's school-leavers report, 22% of young people who leave without a diploma are still looking for work a year later, compared with 7% of school-leavers overall.
The prospect of earning money immediately can therefore be misleading, Grielens warned, particularly for pupils following courses geared towards entering the labour market.
