Enhancing Education Effectiveness: In Which 'Education' Should Society's Hard-Earned Money Go? (original) (raw)
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Building on the OECD indicators programme, eleven countries, together with UNESCO and the OECD and with financial support from the World Bank, launched the World Education Indicators (WEI) pilot programme in 1997. These countries were Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, the Philippines, the Russian Federation and Thailand. They first met in September 1997 in order to: • explore the OECD indicators methodology; • establish a mechanism whereby participating countries could agree on how to make common policy concerns amenable to comparative quantitative assessment; • seek agreement on a small but critical mass of indicators that genuinely indicate educational performance relative to policy objectives and measure the current state of education in an internationally valid, efficient and timely manner; • review methods and data collection instruments in order to develop these indicators; and • determine the directions for further developmental work and analysis beyond the initial set of indicators. Since then, participating countries have contributed in many ways to conceptual and developmental work, have applied the data collection instruments and methodology at the national level in collaboration with the OECD and UNESCO, have co-operated in national, regional and international meetings of experts, and have worked jointly on the development of the indicators. Egypt, Morocco, Paraguay, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Uruguay and Zimbabwe joined the programme during its second year. This report provides an initial analysis of the data collected through this programme, bringing together data from the countries participating in the WEI programme with comparable data from OECD countries. Chapter 1 provides a brief profile for each country that highlights central government priorities in the development of education policy, identifies what the government perceives to be the major challenges facing the education system over the next decade, and explains reform efforts under way to meet these challenges. These profiles, which were contributed by participating countries, also provide the background for interpreting the international comparisons presented subsequently. Chapters 2 and 3 analyse, within an international comparative framework, how countries have responded to rising demands for education and how effective they have been in mobilising the necessary resources. Chapter 2 starts with an examination of patterns of demand, then looks at progression and completion, and finally examines patterns of participation by type of school and programme. Chapter 3 analyses aggregate spending, examines priorities within education budgets (such as spending by level of education, private provision and services targeted to specific target populations), and finally looks at spending choices within the classroom (teachers’ salaries, teachers’ qualifications, hours of instruction and class size). The Annex provides the indicators underlying the analysis, the classification of national education programmes used for the comparisons and other relevant technical information. This is the first report from the WEI programme. The indicators presented should not be considered final but have been, and continue to be, subject to a process of constant development, consolidation and refinement. Furthermore, while it has been possible to provide for comparisons in educational enrolment and spending patterns, comparative information on the quality of educational outcomes in WEI countries is only beginning to emerge. New comparative indicators will be needed in a wider range of educational domains in order to reflect the continuing shift in governmental and public concern, away from control over inputs and content towards a focus on educational outcomes. International comparative assessments of achievement already figure prominently in national policy debates and in educational practice in WEI and OECD countries alike. To the extent that they can now be successfully integrated into the WEI programme during its next phase, they will be able to provide a new basis for policy dialogue and for collaboration in defining and operationalising educational goals – in ways that reflect judgements about the skills that are relevant to adult life. They will provide an opportunity for WEI countries to identify and assess gaps in national curricula, and provide information for benchmarking, the setting of standards and evaluation. They will also convey insights into the range of factors which contribute to the development of knowledge and skills, and into the similarities and differences between the ways in which these factors operate in the various countries. Ultimately, they can help countries to bring about improvements in schooling and better preparation for young people as they enter an adult life of rapid change and increasing global interdependence.
Exploring education and labor market outcomes: insights from diverse global contexts
Pantao International Research Journal, 2024
Abstract: This study investigates the relationship between education and labor market outcomes across various countries, focusing on the ways educational systems shape employment opportunities, job quality, and income levels. Through the analysis of educational factors such as attainment levels, institutional types, training participation, and certifications, the research examines how disparities in access to quality education contribute to unequal labor market participation, particularly among marginalized populations. It also highlights successful strategies from different nations that align education with workforce demands to promote economic equity and growth. The findings reveal that higher educational attainment is strongly associated with better employment prospects, reduced unemployment, and higher income, as evidenced in Germany's robust vocational training programs and Kenya's efforts to improve opportunities for women. However, persistent gaps in educational access and quality, particularly in rural areas and underserved communities, continue to limit equitable labor market outcomes, as seen in countries like Nigeria and Mexico. Programs such as Germany’s dual education system and certifications provided by TESDA in the Philippines demonstrate the potential of aligning education with industry needs to enhance employability and address skill mismatches. This study underscores the importance of improving access to quality education, fostering vocational training and apprenticeship opportunities, and addressing systemic inequities to create inclusive and resilient labor markets. By implementing these strategies, countries can harness the potential of education to foster long-term economic growth and address global inequality.
1995
Education is a key for the economic growth and social development of developing countries. This paper presents findings of a study that analyzed how scarce resources should be allocated to the two types of secondary education-academic and vocational. Methodology involved correlation and regression analysis of World Bank data on the Gross National Products (GNPs) of over 100 countries and of educational expenditure variables from the UNESCO Statistical Yearbook, 1982. Findings indicate that the allocation of more inputs to academic education (in the form of expenditures, teaching staff, and pupils) had a positive effect on economic development. Countries that allocated more inputs to academic education in 1980 grew more rapidly throughout the decade than those countries that allocated fewer inputs. The data show that vocational education had some structural inefficiencies. Policymakers should allocate greater inputs to academic secondary education and increase the efficiency of secondary vocational education. Two tables are included. (Contains 12 references.) (LMI)
Three essays on financing education: exploring the role of the government and the private sector
2012
The role of improved schooling has become controversial because expansion of school investment has not guaranteed improved educational outcomes. This thesis pays attention to why government investments in education have not produced the desire effects of increased educational attainment and higher enrolment rate. We show that the results depend on the methodology. We also provide evidence that the robust association between cognitive skills and economic growth reflects a causal effect of the economic benefits of effective school policy: we find that, countries that improved their cognitive skill, through different facets of school choice, autonomy and accountability over time experienced relative increases in their growth paths. We show that quality of education significantly matter for technological progress and that it is a source of divergence in OECD economies. We also analyse in a dispassionate way, voters influence on public policy especially, that pertaining to public school ...
“The Educational Attainment of the Labor Force: An International Comparison.”
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The most commonly used indicator of human resource development is the enrollment ratio for different levels of schooling. The paper argues that a more accurate indicator in this respect, although more difficult to obtain, is the educational attainment of the labor force. Therefore, such data have been collected mainly from the 1980 round of censuses for nearly ioo countries and summarized into regional indicies of human resource development. One such index, the mean years of schooling embodied in the labor force, shows significant differences in the human capital stock between world regions, as well as between countries within a given region. Such differences in human capital endowments could be further used to explain variations in economic growth patterns across countries, or to form the basis for assessing relative priorities in educational investment.
International Journal of Scientific Research and Management
One of the most important factors in economic, social, and cultural development is to create a development plan to acquire knowledge, and govern the spirit of learning in the society, leading to the strengthening of human capital, and increasing the quality of the educational system in accordance with the needs of economic, and social development. Regarding this, and also based on the recognition of the importance of education in economic growth, economists, and economic development planners have paid special attention to the basics of resource allocation in the education sector. Therefore, according to the fact that government expenditure on education can be an effective factor to encourage people to acquire knowledge, and improve their level of education, and on the other hand, based on the fact that the improvement of people's level of education in the society shows the increase of human capital in the country, which itself has a positive effect on the economic growth of the ...