| Summary: | SCHOOL DROP-OUT: SOCIO-ECONOMIC REPERCUSSIONS IN THE PORTUGUESECENTRE REGION. SOME CONSIDERATIONS. Although the educational level of the population has improved considerably over the last decades, Portugal still lags far behind the other European countries. Premature school drop-out, along with high retention rates, appear to be the main reasons for this. Consequently, Portugal is the EU country with the largest percentage of workers with low educational levels, and the Central Region of Portugal is the one with the least favourable record. Indeed, in spite of the positive evolution egistered among the youngest, it is still disturbing to find that only 27.1% (61.8% in the EU) of the economically active young peoplebetween the ages of 15 and 24 finished their secondary education or pursued vocational training and that 3% did not even finish the first cycle of basic education. This situation inevitably hinders the formation of human capital, prevents the expansion of productivity and curbs the competitiveness of the productive fabric,as well as economic growth.
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