Home visits keep children in school

A home visit from an educational guidance counsellor may make all the difference in the world.

Children and youths with immigrant background are more likely to drop out of a youth education programme than youths who do not have immigrant background. But at Køge school Ellemarkskolen, educational guidance counsellor Gert Andersen has been going out on home visits to immigrant parents for the past six months.

- I spend a lot of time equipping parents for making a realistic choice along with their child, so we can avoid setting the bar too high, says Gert Andersen. He also speaks with the youths about what choice may be the right one for them.

And the effort is paying off. Fewer youths are dropping out now.

Many immigrant parents have a hard time counselling their children on life after lower secondary school. And that often impacts the future education of the child, Gert Andersen explains:

- Boys with immigrant background, in particular, loose their motivation entirely once they're in the final grades, but I can feel a change in the way they relate to the school after I got involved and started cooperating with their families.

Translated by Martin Lamberth