Some 28,000 teenagers dropped out of school without any qualifications last year, down around 25% on 2012, Trouw reports on Thursday.

Twelve years ago, the drop-out rate was around 70,000 and the government hopes to reduce the total to 25,000 by 2016.

Part of this year’s decline is due to changes in the way the statistics are calculated, the paper says. This means pupils who switched to private education or joined the army are no longer counted as school drop-outs. They accounted for around 4,000 premature school leavers in previous years.

Police

Education minister Jet Bussemaker says she is pleased efforts by her ministry and local councils are paying off.

‘Research shows 20% of people who leave school without qualifications end up in contact with the police,’ she told Trouw.

‘But that happens to just 3.8% of people with a certificate. People without qualifications are more likely to be ill, lose their jobs and be unemployed.’