Member states are making progress towards the EU 2020 education and training objectives. This is the conclusion made in the 5th edition of the Education and Training Monitor published on 7 November.
The member states have made a commitment to lowering early school leaving rates to under 10% and to increase the number of higher education graduates to at least 40% of all 30-34 olds by 2020.
Tibor Navracsics, the European commissioner for education, informed press that “there is something to be optimistic about, even though the results contain disparities. Early school leaving rates stand at 11% and participation in tertiary education is at a rate of 38.7%. Therefore, we are almost there”.
The Monitor shows that at the EU level, public investment in education grew by 1.1% annually. About two-thirds of member states recorded a rise in 2014. In six countries, this increase was greater than 5% (Bulgaria, Hungary, Latvia, Malta, Romania and Slovakia). By contrast, ten member states reduced their spending on education in 2014 compared to 2013 (Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, and Slovenia). The report also pays particular attention to young people from immigrant backgrounds and shows that in 2015 they had higher early school leaving rates (19%) and lower rates of tertiary educational attainment (36.4%) than the native population (10.1 % and 39.4% respectively).
The Education and Skills Monitor analyses the main challenges for European education systems and presents policy measures that can make them more responsive to societal and labour market needs. The report comprises a cross-country comparison, 28 in-depth country reports, and a dedicated webpage with additional data and information. [The Education and Training Monitor 2016 can be consulted at: https://ec.europa.eu/education/sites/education/files/monitor2016_en.pdf ] (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)