Education and Training Monitor 2024

Comparative report

Conclusion

The 2024 Education and Training Monitor's comparative report tracks progress towards reaching EU-level targets, most notably the ones agreed under the 2021 EEA strategic framework Resolution⁽³⁴¹⁾. This final section provides a short wrap-up of this progress and a few examples of EU support strands.

The share of children between the age of 3 and the start of compulsory primary education enrolled in early childhood education and care (ECEC) is 93.1%, inching closer to the 2030 EU-level target of at least 96%. Only Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Cyprus are lagging behind with ECEC participation rates below 85%. Early school leaving is becoming less prevalent across the EU, affecting 9.5% of all 18-24-year-olds, raising the question whether the 2030 EU-level target of less than 9% is ambitious enough. Only Romania, Spain, Germany, and Hungary record early school leaving rates over 11%.

The areas of vocational education and training (VET) and tertiary education report successes too. Experience of work-based learning in VET (64.5%) exceeds the 2025 EU-level target of at least 60%, even if work-based learning shows the highest country variability of all EU-level target areas (Figure 33), with particularly low shares in Romania and Czechia. At 43.1%, the tertiary educational attainment rate of 25–34-year-olds continues to increase, putting the EU well on track to reach its 2030 target of at least 45%. Rates remain below 35% only in Romania, Hungary, Italy, and Czechia.

Figure 33. Country variability is highest for work-based learning in VET and lowest for early school leaving⁽³⁴²⁾

However, some EU-level targets are highly unlikely to be reached without a substantial change in momentum. The situation is worst of all for underachievement in basic skills (Figure 34), with record-high results for reading (26.2%), mathematics (29.5%), and science (24.2%) way above the 2030 EU-level target of rates below 15%. Underachievement in mathematics, for instance, exceeds 45% in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Romania, and Greece. Secondly, at 39.5%, adult learning participation remains well below the 47% EU-level target for 2025, with only 10 countries reaching it in 2022⁽³⁴³⁾. The worst-performing countries are Bulgaria, Greece, and Romania, with adult learning participation rates below 20%.

Figure 34. Country performance is worst when it comes to progress towards reaching the EU-level target on basic skills

This short wrap-up masks considerable differences between and within EU education systems. The online Monitor Toolbox, supporting the Education and Training Monitor, lists the main indicators mentioned here, and complements them with several supporting indicators to shed light on context and possible policy levers⁽³⁴⁴⁾. The Monitor Toolbox also features new EU-level indicators requested in the in the 2021 EEA strategic framework Resolution. Firstly, it shows the EU-level indicator for equity in education, introduced as part of the 2022 EEA Progress Report. Secondly, it hosts the teachers’ dashboard, with several indicators capturing a teaching job’s attractiveness. Thirdly, it lists the indicators used to monitor learning for sustainability across the EU ⁽³⁴⁵⁾.

Learning for sustainability is the special focus of the 2024 Education and Training Monitor. The available evidence paints a sobering picture. EU education systems are contributing to addressing the climate and environmental crises, but more must be done to improve curricular coverage of sustainability issues and better prepare teachers to support students in this area. For instance, school principals mostly report low-impact actions such as differential waste collection (83.9%), while complex sustainability competences, such as futures literacy, are barely covered in national curricula. Only 42.1% of young people report having had a good opportunity to learn about sustainability in school and there appears to be a disconnect between knowledge and action, with widespread sustainability values and foundational knowledge, but little acting for sustainability. EU education systems can do more to support and encourage all learners.

The European Commission supports EU countries in their continued efforts to improve the performance of their education systems. Firstly, EU funding for education and training tripled in the 2021-27 funding period, with a total allocation exceeding EUR 130 billion. The Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) gives EU countries unprecedented opportunities to implement major reforms and investments in education and training. Around EUR 75.1 billion are allocated in the RRF to address key challenges education and training systems face⁽³⁴⁶⁾. Cohesion Policy continues to support EU countries and regions in their efforts to strengthen equal access to quality and inclusive education and training opportunities, considering socioeconomic and territorial disparities⁽³⁴⁷⁾. And with a budget of EUR 864 million for the period 2021-2027, the European Commission stands ready to support EU countries upon their request in undertaking reforms through the EU’s Technical Support Instrument. A culture of evaluation in education policy helps making an effective use of EU funding and is gaining traction in recent years⁽³⁴⁸⁾.

Secondly, the EEA fosters collaboration among EU countries to build more resilient and inclusive education and training systems. The ongoing interim policy evaluation of the EEA assesses EU-level and national efforts to promote progress toward reaching EU-level targets. On the basis of this assessment, the European Commission will, in 2025, put forward a proposal on the development of the EEA with regard to strategic priorities for European cooperation and national reforms in education and training, a better governance structure and working methods, and possible updates to EU-level targets. This will inform the Council’s review of the strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training, ahead of its 2026-2030 cycle.

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