Social impact of Relapse into illiteracy and early school leaving

Abstract

The text addresses the issues of functional illiteracy and early school leaving, highlighting their socio-economic, cultural, and family-related causes. Functional illiteracy refers to the loss of basic literacy skills over time, while school dropout concerns young people leaving education prematurely. Both phenomena undermine social cohesion and economic mobility, perpetuating exclusion cycles. The work explores European and Italian strategies to counter these issues, including lifelong learning programs, adult education centers (CPIA), and digital schools for the elderly. Special focus is given to the role of digital technologies and artificial intelligence, regarded both as valuable tools and potential risks. The paper finally proposes prompt engineering as a transversal skill that can enhance critical thinking and communication abilities to prevent functional illiteracy.