Illness or disability must not destroy young people’s dreams of education
Far too many young people living with serious illness and/or disability never complete an upper secondary education. An alliance of 11 organisations is now presenting 10 recommendations that can pave the way for more of these young people to succeed in their studies – to the benefit of both the individual and society as a whole. Egmont’s Grant Administration is part of the alliance.
Almost one in four young people with a serious physical illness have not received any education beyond primary school by the age of 30. For them, and for young people living with mental illness or disabilities, the path to education is often full of obstacles – and many are forced to give up along the way.
This represents a loss of both talent and motivation, and it has major socioeconomic consequences. But with the recent political agreement to establish a new vocationally and professionally oriented upper secondary education (EPX), and with the forthcoming adjustments to other upper secondary programmes, there is now a clear opportunity to create better conditions. Many young people point to unclear rights and lack of flexibility as some of the greatest barriers.
That is why the Alliance for Equal Education Opportunities is now making an appeal with 10 recommendations directed at politicians and decision-makers who are shaping the future of youth education. The alliance brings together 11 organisations across hospital, education, and civil society sectors.
“Far too many young people have to give up along the way because the system is not designed for them. We need better guidance, greater flexibility, and closer cooperation between hospitals and educational institutions, so that young people living with serious illness or disability have the same opportunities to complete an upper secondary education as everyone else,” says Olivia Braad Honoré from Ungepanelerne i Danmark, a member of the Alliance for Equal Education Opportunities.
Better Guidance and Increased Flexibility Are Essential
Today, support for young people with serious illness and/or disability varies greatly depending on where they study, live, or receive hospital care. A national advisory unit could ensure consistent knowledge about rights and solutions across systems.
“We would like to see the creation of a national advisory unit that could serve as a single point of expertise for municipalities, schools, educational institutions, and hospitals – so they are better equipped to guide young people locally. It would help ensure that young people receive consistent advice no matter where they live or study,” says William Korte, Chair of the Association of Youth with Disabilities (SUMH).
Absence management, flexibility through extended study time, and access to individual upper secondary courses are also crucial if young people with illness or functional impairments are to complete an education.
“Flexibility must be an integrated part of the education system. When you live with a serious illness, a rigid approach to absence can make it nearly impossible to finish your education. We need smoother solutions that better accommodate the individual’s health situation,” says Freja Sinclair, President of the Danish Association of Upper Secondary Students (DGS).
Strengthen Collaboration Across Sectors
The education and health sectors need to be better connected – for example, through educational counsellors placed in hospitals and improved coordination of treatment and study plans.
“For young people living with serious illness or disability, it’s crucial that the healthcare system also includes education in its thinking. It can be as simple as scheduling consultations after school hours or ensuring that an educational counsellor follows the young person throughout their treatment. These small adjustments can make a huge difference,” says Rebecca Kofoed Rasmussen, Member of the SygtStærk Committee.
A Benefit for Society Too
Among young people with serious physical illnesses, almost one in four have not received any education beyond primary school by the age of 30 — nearly twice as many as in the population as a whole.
If that proportion could be reduced by just one percentage point in a single age cohort, society would gain around 50 million Danish kroner by the time that group turns 35. And that’s before including young people affected by disabilities and mental illness.
The Alliance for Equal Education Opportunities includes:
The Danish Society of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Danish Vocational Schools and Colleges, Danish Upper Secondary Schools, Danish Association of Upper Secondary Students (DGS), the Danish Disability Organisations, the Danish Paediatric Society, the Danish Society for Adolescent Medicine, Egmont’s Foundation Secretariat, the Association of Youth with Disabilities (SUMH), SygtStærk, and Ungepanelerne i Danmark.
Contact
Communications Consultant in SygtStærk, Line Krag Mortensen, tlf. 2183 0120, mail line@sygtstaerk.dk
Political consultant in Sammenslutningen af Unge med Handicap (SUMH), Malthe Melskens,
tlf. 2281 2054, mail: malthe@suhm.dkProjectmanager in Ungepanelerne i Danmark, Katrine Lindegaard Juul, tlf. 29779508.
Front person in Danske Gymnasieelevers Sammenslutning, Freja Sinclair, tlf. 5077 4801.
Figures: Young People, Illness and Education
- Almost one in five young people in Denmark live with a chronic or serious physical or mental illness, or with a disability.
Source: National Institute of Public Health, “Well-being and everyday life among children and young people with chronic illness”
- Almost one in four (23%) young people with a serious physical illness have received no education beyond primary school by the age of 30.
That is nearly twice as many as in the population as a whole.
Source: Egmont Insight, “Is education only for the healthy?”
- Only two out of three 18-year-olds with a psychiatric diagnosis or a disability are enrolled in an upper secondary education programme.
Source: The Economic Council of the Labour Movement, “Young people with diagnoses struggle to start their education”
- If the proportion of young people with a serious or chronic physical illness who have no education beyond primary school could be reduced by just one percentage point – from 23% to 22% – by pursuing a vocational or higher education instead, it would have a significant socioeconomic impact.
That one percentage point corresponds to roughly 40 young people in a typical age cohort.
For each cohort where this is achieved, society would gain around DKK 50 million by the time the group turns 35. Thereafter, the annual benefit would amount to at least DKK 4–6 million — not including young people affected by disabilities or mental illness.
Source: Egmont Insight, “Is education only for the healthy?”