Brussels, 30/10/2013 (Agence Europe) - Sixteen member states cut their spending on education between 2008 and 2011 (Ireland, the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Cyprus and Hungary) and six of them have continued to apply major budgetary restrictions in 2012 (United Kingdom, Portugal, Latvia, Greece, Cyprus and Italy), according to the latest Education and Training Monitor report, published by the European Commission on 30 October. This report gives an overview of developments in each country, measured against reference criteria and specific indicators. It sheds light on recent developments in education and training policies and, thanks to national reports and the online visualisation tool, provides a wealth of concrete data. “The data provided by the report (…) are invaluable because they allow member states to compare themselves against others and encourage decision-makers to invest efficiently in modernising their education systems to improve quality and results. This is vital if we are to ensure that young people are equipped with the skills they need to succeed in life”, said Education Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou.
The report highlights the major challenge facing the member states as regards education: reforming education systems to make them more efficient in a context of crisis, when budgetary resources are scarce. It also confirms the fall in the employment rate for young people with at least an upper secondary education qualification: only 76% are now finding jobs, compared with 82% in 2008. As for graduates, although they have a clear advantage on the employment market, one in five are still in jobs that usually require lower qualifications, which seems to indicate a worrying mismatch between the skills delivered by education and training systems and those required by the labour market. Additionally, the rate of people with higher education qualifications is rising slowly: it now stands at 35.7% (the objective laid down by the EU is 40%). The dropout rate continues to fall and now stands at 12.7% (the EU has set a threshold of 10%). The report goes on to make four key observations: 1) inequality is still a feature of many education and training systems in Europe, with weaknesses observed in the skills and qualifications of groups such as young people with a migrant background; the success of member states in tackling this problem varies greatly; 2) demographic trends strongly affect the teaching profession: in many member states, the majority of teachers are in the highest age bracket; a rethink is needed on how to attract, recruit and educate the best candidates, in addition to ensuring they are supported in their professional development throughout their careers; 3) Europe is lagging behind in the development of Open Educational Resources (OER): although digital technologies are fully embedded in the way people interact, work and trade, they are not being fully exploited in European education and training; 4) just half of the population aged over 15 years old agrees that the education they received in school has allowed them to acquire entrepreneurial skills on top of basic skills, stressing the need to redouble efforts to develop skills of this kind in young people. (IL/transl.fl)