The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development OECD warns that bad education policy has the same effect on the economy as a permanent financial crisis. It criticises the fact that every sixth young adult is lacking key qualifications.
Big plans, great effort, but very little control: this is a problem afflicting the majority of the education reforms that have been introduced in the OECD countries since 2008. On average, only one in ten reforms has been assessed regarding its effectiveness during the six years up until 2014, as the study "Education Policy Outlook 2015: Making Reforms Happen" reveals, which the OECD presented at the Education World Forum in London.
"We need far better and wide-reaching monitoring systems if we want to see actual results", said Andreas Schleicher, Director for the Directorate of Education and Skills at the OECD. The expert adds: "We attempt to improve education policy in many different ways, but we fail to track the results."
Because of the many lost opportunities, ill-conceived education policy has the same effect on the economies of the OECD member states as a permanent financial crisis, said Schleicher, who in Germany is predominantly known for having compiled the PISA studies. "If all countries were to achieve the same education results as Finland, this would equate to a financial gain totalling 260 trillion US dollars", said Schleicher.
The OECD countries spend about 2.5 trillion US dollars (approximately 2.15 trillion euros) per year; this is "equivalent to the gross domestic product of the United Kingdom", Schleicher explained. Yet according to the education expert far more depends on how the member states invest in education policy. "Money alone is not the solution", said Schleicher.
In his view, there is no shortage of ambitious government programmes, however, what is missing is the tracking of their effectiveness. "In the case of too many education reforms it is not possible to ascertain whether they have led to success or failure in the classroom", said Schleicher.
Unqualified youths as a risk for society
This has consequences. In a second study titled "Education at a Glance – Update of Employment and Education Attainment Indicators", the OECD concludes that almost every sixth young adult in the age group 25 to 34 years does not possess the skills that are regarded as being essential for the ability to function in today's society. This figure has changed only marginally since 2003.
According to the organisation, 13 of its member states have 15 or more per cent of unqualified youths and young adults amongst their population. "There continues to remain a comparatively large number of citizens who have few or no qualifications", said Schleicher. This, he added, constitutes a great risk both for society and the labour market.
In the United Kingdom, for instance, every fifth individual is lacking basic qualifications; this tends to apply more to men than to women. "The number of people in gainful employment increases with the level of education", said Schleicher. "This link has become even stronger since the financial crisis." OECD figures demonstrate that the probability of achieving bad results in tests such as PISA tends to be higher when the pupils come from disadvantaged families or have a migration background.
According to Schleicher it is important not to give up on children from migrant families and to subject them the same performance requirements as are asked of children without a migration background. "We can influence the costs and benefits of immigration", said the education researcher. Germany will be dependent on more immigration in the coming years because of the demographic development.
Universities in need of improvement
A study by the language training provider EF Education First and the Economist Intelligence Unit shows that there seem to be great differences in opinion as to who is responsible for increasing the innovation capability of a country. The Economist Intelligence Unit interviewed both business and government representatives for this study.
According to the study, 75 per cent of the polled government representatives in ten of the major global economies, including the United Kingdom, the USA and China, believe that it is the sole responsibility of the industry to create the framework conditions for innovation. The company representatives held a different view. "What we have here is a big disparity", said research director Aviva Freudmann. "The people who are being prepared for their entry into the labour market are not matched to meet the requirements of companies."
OECD expert Schleicher, however, regards the different perceptions of governments and companies as a positive circumstance. "If governments and companies were to fully agree, we would produce only people who exactly match the demands of present-day companies", he said. "Yet the companies are unable to tell you what they might be needing tomorrow."
In Germany, the dialogue between companies and trainers is good, especially in the field of vocational education and training. "The universities, however, are still in need of improvement", said Schleicher.