Korean Educational Development Institute(KEDI)

A status study: analyzing the students at high risk for interruption in education

Providing support for youths who dropout is an important policy issue that many countries in the world have recognized as a social problem. In the case of South Korea, the percentage of middle and high school dropouts (“dropouts”) has decreased from the end of 1990’s, when the collection of such data began, hit the lowest point in the year 2005 and since then has shown an increasing trend. Most of the dropouts lose the opportunity to build up their human resources from educational system due to various reasons, including personal situations or problems with their family or social environment, and consequently must endure the comparatively lower incomes once they enter the work force. The lower incomes of the dropouts translate into lower taxes to the respective governments, leading to potential economic loss to the society as a whole. Further, the interruption in education increases the dropout’s exposure to delinquency or criminal activities, potentially leading to increased social costs and welfare costs. In addition to those mentioned above, the interruption in education causes various negative consequences, to the dropouts themselves, as well as the society as a whole.