General

Education spending lags behind economic growth

Rich, industrialized countries have started to spend more money on education in recent years, but this increase has lagged far behind the growth of the economy. The Netherlands scores even worse on this point than other countries within the OECD and the European Union (EU).

Tekst Michiel van Nieuwstadt - Redactie Onderwijsblad - - 4 Minuten om te lezen

education-at-a-glance

This is shown by a comparison of education indicators worldwide, published this morning by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

According to the annual report, Education at a Glance, total government spending on education in OECD countries grew by 2012 percent from 2019 to 10,5. This increase in primary, secondary and higher education, added together, lags considerably behind the growth of 16,6 percent in gross national product (GNP). GNP is a measure of the size of the economies of these countries.

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The OECD countries on which Education at a Glance reports are 38 generally richer industrial countries, including EU Member States, but also Chile, Columbia, Australia and the United States, for example. Specifically for the EU countries, the comparison is even more sombre. In 22 European member states, the economy grew on average by 15,8 percent in the six-year measurement period, much faster than education expenditure in all sectors combined at 8,2 percent.

Education spending in the Netherlands lags even further behind economic growth

Education expenditure in the Netherlands is lagging even further behind economic growth. The increase in expenditure on primary, secondary and higher education in our country was 2012 percent on an annual basis between 2019 and 1,1. That is much less than the EU average (1,6 percent per year) and also much less than the OECD average (also 1,6 percent per year).
"Surrounding countries allow education to benefit from economic growth," says AObdirector Thijs Roovers. "The Netherlands fluctuates at the bottom of this list and that is incomprehensible when you look at the challenges education faces."

Verschil

On average, OECD countries spend 4,9 percent of GDP on education. Within the EU this percentage is 4,4 and in the Netherlands, despite the lower growth, it is still slightly higher: at 5,2. The Netherlands also spends an above average amount of money per student or pupil, but there are major differences between the education sectors. Spending on primary school pupils is only slightly above the average for countries in the OECD and the EU. The Netherlands scores well above average in secondary and higher education. "In higher, secondary and university education, the report shows that we spend relatively much money per student," says Roovers. "But the money doesn't always end up where it should. We have to ask ourselves: where is that money and how do we ensure that we use it better?"
OECD countries spend more per pupil in secondary education than in primary education. This difference is exceptionally large in the Netherlands. Expenditure per pupil in secondary education in the Netherlands is 49 percent higher than expenditure in primary education. In OECD countries this difference is on average 17 percent.

Men shortage

Men are choosing less and less for the teaching profession, especially when it comes to teaching younger children. According to the OECD, the large salary disparity between education and other sectors explains the sector's inability to recruit enough men. The average salary of female teachers is higher or comparable to the average salary they earn as highly educated people in other sectors, but this is not the case for men in primary and secondary education. They earn 15 percent less than comparably educated workers elsewhere.

The Netherlands stands out with a 12 percent share of men in the education of the very youngest children

In preparatory, primary and secondary education, the male shortage has continued to increase worldwide since 2005. In early childhood education, the percentage of men in OECD countries is 5. In primary and secondary education, 18 and 40 percent of teachers are men. In higher education, the situation is reversed; more than half of the teachers there are male.

The Netherlands stands out with a 12 percent share of men in the education of the very youngest children, ie before kindergarten age. No country scores higher here. Compared to other EU countries, the Netherlands has a slightly higher share of women in primary education (87 percent) and higher education (46 percent). The proportion of women in lower and upper secondary education remains slightly below average at 54 and 55 percent.

Class size

Compared to previous versions of Education at a Glance, the OECD seems to recognize more in the latest report that educational performance improves as classes get smaller. In any case, in OECD countries there appears to be a negative relationship between average reading performance and class size. Children with a lower socio-economic status in particular benefit from smaller classes. The average size of classes in OECD countries is 21. According to the OECD figures, the average in the Netherlands is above this: 23. "There is no doubt about the effect of small classes for both equality of opportunity and for reading," says AObdriver Roovers. "Small class work. The AOb been betting on this for years. This report confirms our position."

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