The OECD has released its Education at a Glance 2010 report which calls for governments to invest in education systems to secure long term economic growth.
In a global economy, it is no longer improvement by national standards alone. The best performing education systems internationally provide the benchmark for success,” said OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría launching the report in Paris.
“With the worldwide recession continuing to weigh on employment levels, education is an essential investment for responding to the changes in technology and demographics that are re-shaping labour markets.”
Education at a Glance covers 35 OECD member and candidate countries, including 21 EU countries1. In addition, data are shown for a number of significant global partner countries, amongst them Brazil and China. The report shows that for most indicators EU countries perform near the OECD average, but there are nevertheless significant variations between Member States in early school leaving rates and the numbers attending university.
21 EU countries are covered by the report, which draws on data collected jointly with Eurostat and the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The report looks at what is spent on education, how education systems operate and what results are achieved.
"Europe cannot falling behind in education and training. Improving education and training systems is one of the key tasks for the future and the means to both secure Europe's economic success and its social cohesion," Androulla Vassiliou said this morning as he claimed that the report reinforces the Commission's own analysis and the policy lines we are pursuing with Europe 2020. It confirms the value - I would say the necessity – of investing in education, particularly during the economic downturn. Young people with low levels of education have been hardest hit, with unemployment rates for those that had not completed upper secondary school rising by almost five percentage points in EU countries between 2008 and 2009."
The report shows higher education pays - For people with university or equivalent degrees, the report shows that, while they are not exempt from the effects of the downturn, the increase in unemployment levels during the same period was much less – at below two percentage points.
With demand for university-level courses rising, according to the report, public resources invested in university education pay off by bringing in additional tax revenues. There are also substantial private returns – an EU citizen will, over his/her working lifetime gain a substantial personal increase in earnings.
Among other points, the 2010 edition of Education at a Glance reveals that:
* On average, 34% of 25-34 year-olds across EU countries covered have completed tertiary education (the OECD equivalent is 35%), compared with 18% of EU 55-64 year-olds (OECD figure is 18%). The best performing EU country is Ireland, where 45% of 25-34 year olds have tertiary qualifications, but it lags behind global leaders including Korea, Canada and Japan and the Russian Federation, all with over 50%. Recognising Europe's need to match the best in global performance, the EU's Europe 2020 strategy sets a benchmark of 40% of young people with university level qualifications.
* Unemployment rates among people with a tertiary level of education have stayed at or below 4% on average in the EU and across OECD countries during the recession. For people who failed to complete upper secondary education, by contrast, unemployment rates have repeatedly exceeded 9%.
* As more and more people look beyond their home countries' borders for university education, both academic and commercial benefits accrue from attracting foreign students. In 2008, the latest year for which complete figures are available, over 3.3 million tertiary students were enrolled outside their country of citizenship. Of these, about 40% studied in EU countries, showing, in the words of Commissioner Vassiliou, that Europe's universities are, more and more open to the world.
British Response
David Willetts, the Minister for Higher Education said:
"The OECD report shows that our Higher Education faces some real challenges, which the Government is determined to tackle. We have already taken action to boost student numbers by funding an extra 10,000 places and more people than ever are starting university this autumn.
“Going to university is still a good investment. Graduates are more likely to be in work than non graduates and can expect to earn more over their lifetime.
“We are working to provide more educational opportunities for all ages to ensure that we have highly skilled, internationally competitive workforce. We have provided funding for an extra 50,000 apprenticeships."