Half of the 16-18 year old students at risk of poverty did not receive a scholarship last year

In the 2024-2025 academic year, there were 82,688 young Catalans between the ages of 16 and 18 living in poverty, of whom 41,507 received a scholarship to study in post-compulsory education. However, almost half (41,181) of these teenagers were left out of the current scholarship system. The Bofill Foundation links this issue to the lack of a support policy in Catalonia that guarantees scholarships to all students in upper secondary education (Bachillerato), intermediate vocational training programs (Ciclos Formativos de Grado Medio), and training and integration programs (PFI) at risk of poverty, which directly contributes to school dropout statistics. In fact, early school leaving among students living in poverty (25.3%) is seven times higher than that of students from wealthier households (3.8%), as evidenced by the latest data from the Living Conditions Survey (ECV), as demonstrated by the organization. "We are clearly seeing that this profile of young people, with fewer economic resources, is the one that drops out of school the most," explains Miquel Àngel Alegre, head of projects at the Bofill Foundation, who emphasizes that "when scholarships are developed with good coverage and adequate amounts, they reduce" school dropout rates. At a time when the State has transferred the management of educational scholarships to the Generalitat (Catalan government), the Foundation is asking the Catalan executive to take advantage of its powers to guarantee scholarships and strengthen the aid policy. In this regard, the organization stresses that, at present, the policy "is minimal," in a context where the Catalan scholarship system represents 1% of the Education budget, below the national average (1.7%). Progressive improvement of the coverage and amount of aid

Aside from what it considers an "insufficient" investment, the Foundation details that the current model "does not adjust to the cost of living or the social situation in Catalonia," leaving 16,200 young people living in poverty outside the at-risk category. Furthermore, the organization also raises the issue of the phenomenon no-take-upThis leads to people who are entitled to aid ultimately not applying due to a lack of clarity or bureaucratic hurdles. With the aim of addressing these problems, the Foundation is proposing a new model to improve the coverage, amount, and accessibility of the aid. Specifically, it proposes increasing coverage from 19.9% ​​to 30% for the 58,475 students living in poverty who are studying post-compulsory secondary education and vocational training programs. "In Catalonia, the indicator we have is 30%, and therefore, that is the benchmark percentage that should be covered," Alegre points out. Furthermore, the project manager of the Bofill Foundation not only emphasizes the need for more scholarships, but also that they should be "better funded" so that these young people can receive 3,000 or 4,000 euros annually, depending on family income, and that the application process should be more accessible. "It may seem less important, but the boys and girls who receive a scholarship feel a responsibility to make the most of their schooling, and that also has an impact on improving their results," Alegre points out. Based on data from the last school year, it is estimated that the Ministry of Education should add €134 million to the €77 million it receives from the Spanish government in order to offer scholarships to all young people at risk of poverty before 2028; this would become a starting point for a broader scholarship policy by 2032.