Comparative report
Introduction
The time to learn continues long after compulsory education ends, even if the learning activities of a 15-year-old and a 64-year-old have little in common. Compulsory education ends at age 15 across seven Member States71, although no 15-year-old reaches the minimum standard of upper secondary educational attainment. Enrolment, on average, remains at 97.2%. At age 34, only 4.5% are still enrolled in formal education72. Learning activities shift toward non-formal learning for most adults over 25. Indeed, most learning of 25-64 year-olds concerns non-formal learning, comprising three quarters of all participation in 2021 (8.0% against a total of 10.8%).
Part 2 of this report concerns formal and non-formal learning for young people and adults across the EU. It showcases four EU-level target domains from the EEA Strategic framework Resolution. These cover a disengagement from school before the level of upper secondary educational attainment (Chapter 3), the exposure to work-based learning in vocational education (Chapter 4), tertiary educational attainment levels (Chapter 5) and the participation in learning activities among 25-64 year-olds (Chapter 6).
Two important cross-cutting considerations from Part 1 are carried over into Part 2. The first is the cross-cutting equity dimension. For instance, in Chapter 3, early school leaving rates are shown to signal deeply rooted patterns of exclusion and inequity. In Chapters 4 and 5, sizeable gender gaps are documented across the vocational and higher education sectors, both in terms of attainment levels and fields of study.
A second cross-cutting consideration concerns the teaching profession. In Chapters 1 and 2, it became clear that the burden of quality and equity is on the shoulders of teachers and school leaders. While expectations are not always realistic, it is clear that the teaching profession requires considerable amounts of top-level support to deal with the numerous challenges it is faced with. It also requires a better cross-EU monitoring to enable mutual learning and a better understanding of key obstacles and potential policy levers (Box 8).
Box 8. Monitoring the teaching profession
The COVID-19 crisis seems to have only increased the heavy demands on teachers, wo are expected to deal with remote teaching, ever-evolving digital tools and practices, overcoming learning loss, and ensuring equal access to quality learning. Meanwhile, a complex interplay of working conditions, professional development, career progression, teacher appraisal, mobility, well-being and demographic factors all play their part in regional, national and EU-level teacher shortages73.
Teachers receive recognition in the EEA Strategic framework Resolution, which identifies them as the backbone of the learning process and one of the main contributors to achieving its aims. A solid evidence base can help make the right policy decisions. However, from a monitoring perspective, the teaching profession is one of the more complex, multifaceted domains in education and training. Many policy-relevant sub-dimensions interact, from input, output and effect angles. Aspects like school climate, teaching practices and well-being interact in their influence on students’ acquisition of knowledge, skills and attitudes.
To provide structure to the monitoring, the Commission is preparing a dashboard that will bring together multiple equivalent indicators across different sub-dimensions, while remaining digestible for policy debate. Focusing on the attractiveness of the teaching career, the purpose of the dashboard is to assist Member States in monitoring supply and demand, but also important contributing factors such as training and professional development, working conditions, and the emotional well-being of teachers. Quantitative as well as qualitative indicators will capture phenomena at the central level, and should allow for a meaningful cross-EU comparison.
Notes
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71.Czechia, Greece, Croatia, Cyprus, Austria, Poland and Slovenia. See the 2021 Eurydice report on compulsory education in Europe.
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72.At this age, educational attainment has become a tapestry of different levels. In terms of highest level of education attained, an average of 20.9% of 34-year-olds have attained at least a master’s (or equivalent) degree, 16.0% have obtained a bachelor’s (or equivalent) degree, 4.6% have a short-cycle tertiary certificate and 4.7% have attained post-secondary non-tertiary education. Still, 18.7% of 34-year-olds have at most a lower secondary educational attainment, which may not be a sufficient foundation for their future.
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73.For more information, see the 2021 Eurydice report on teachers in Europe.