Comparative report
Introduction
The right to education is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and a cornerstone of the rights-based Sustainable Development Goal 4 for education1, contributing to a fair society of equal opportunities. At EU level, it is the European Pillar of Social Rights2 that plays a key role in battling inequalities between and within Member States3. Efforts to improve equity and inclusion in education and training complement the EU equality strategies adopted in 2020-214. They form a strategic priority of European cooperation in education and training towards the European Education Area and beyond5.
Equitable education and training systems are not about equal educational attainment or equal educational achievement. Instead, they are expected to ensure that young people’s educational performance is decoupled from individual circumstances such as socio-economic status – the latter often captured by parental education and occupation, or household income. Moreover, inclusive education and training systems are responsive to the outcomes and experiences faced by specific population sub-groups6.
Part 1 of this report puts equity front and centre. It starts off with a brand new EU-level indicator on equity in education and training, in response to an invitation to propose one as part of the EEA Strategic framework Resolution. The proposed approach affirms the objective to decouple education outcomes from socio-economic status. The new indicator is based on the OECD’s Programme for International Student Achievement (PISA). Part 1 then continues with a chapter on access to quality early childhood education and care, which levels the playing field in a truly equitable education and training system.
Box 1. Evidence suggests physical school closures have widened educational inequities
National research suggests that where learning loss occurred, it typically exacerbated educational inequalities stemming from pre-existing socio-economic gaps. In the Netherlands, for example, learning losses were 60% higher among students living in households where neither parent had achieved qualifications above lower secondary education level. Similarly, a study from Belgium found a correlation between the extent of the learning loss and school characteristics, with schools with higher shares of disadvantaged student populations experiencing larger learning losses. Studies from some other Member States showed similar patterns.
Several key factors were likely to influence children’s vulnerability to learning loss. Parental education likely played an important role, as parents with lower educational achievement may have found it more difficult to provide their children with adequate learning support at home during physical school closures. Children living in single-parent households may have been particularly vulnerable, especially where single parents were employed and experienced work-life balance difficulties that prevented them from providing appropriate learning support. Migrant status of parents and children contributed to learning vulnerability, as parents may have struggled to provide learning support to their children due to language barriers or differences in educational systems between countries.
Above all, learning loss was concentrated among children experiencing socio-economic disadvantages, such as low household income, lack of access to educational tools, lack of internet access, or lack of parental support in learning. Migrant and displaced children, especially refugees and asylum-seekers, were more vulnerable to educational disruption where they had limited access to resources necessary for online learning. Children from certain minority ethnic backgrounds, such as Roma, experienced such poor digital infrastructure too. Limited internet access in certain remote rural locations was also likely to contribute to learning loss.
Source: Employment and Social Developments in Europe (ESDE) review 2022.Notes
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1.See UNESCO's overview overview of the right to education.
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2.Principle 1 of the European Pillar of Social Rights says that "[e]veryone has the right to quality and inclusive education, training and life-long learning in order to maintain and acquire skills that enable them to participate fully in society and manage successfully transitions in the labour market".
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3.Two headline indicators of the European Pillar of Social Rights’ revised Social Scoreboard worth mentioning here as broader context indicators concern income inequality (comparing the ratio of equivalised disposable income received by the top quintile to that received by the bottom quintile) and the at-risk-of-poverty or exclusion rate for children aged 0-17 (measuring the share of children who are at risk of poverty, and/or severely materially or socially deprived, and/or living in households with very low work intensity).
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4. These EU equality strategies comprise, inter alia, the Gender equality strategy, the EU anti-racism action plan, the EU Roma strategic framework for equality, inclusion and participation, the LGBTIQ equality strategy, and the Strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities.
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5.See the 2021 Council Resolution, henceforth noted as ‘EEA Strategic framework Resolution’.
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6.Disadvantaged backgrounds, above and beyond socio-economic status, concern young people that have been traditionally marginalised and/or discriminated against in education and training. Some disadvantaged groups remain invisible in regular cross-EU monitoring exercises, such as young people from racial and ethnic minorities and young people with special education needs or disabilities.